Abstract
Background. The usefulness of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) has been established as a treatment of hemoptysis. However, it can be time-consuming to identify the source of bleeding by conventional bronchial angiography. Although some authors have reported the usefulness of multidetector-row computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) to locate the bleeding site, it is not commonly performed before BAE. Case. A 56-year-old woman, who was previously given a diagnosis of diffuse panbronchiolitis at age 23 was admitted to our hospital complaining of hemoptysis in June, 2007. Subsequently, she required frequent hospitalization to treat repeated hemoptysis. Bronchoscopy revealed that the orifice of the left lingular bronchus was occluded by coagulation, and suggested that the source of the bleeding was in the left superior segment. MDCTA showed an abnormally dilated bronchial artery arising from the descending aorta and distributing to the left main bronchus. Conventional bronchial angiography, which was performed before BAE, demonstrated images similar to those seen by MDCTA. BAE was successfully accomplished using 6 microcoils. She has not experienced hemoptysis nor been admitted to hospital since she underwent BAE. Conclusion. MDCTA for patients with hemoptysis is useful to determine whether BAE is indicated, and to conduct the procedure effectively.
