Open AccessAn unusual cause of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage
Author(s) -
Hui Cathryn
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the clinical respiratory journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.789
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1752-699X
pISSN - 1752-6981
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-699x.2008.00061.x
Subject(s) - medicine , differential diagnosis , lung , angiosarcoma , radiology , pulmonary function testing , vasculitis , pulmonary infarction , biopsy , autopsy , complication , pathological , pathology , surgery , disease
Diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage is a potentially life‐threatening complication of a variety of conditions. Tumours, including angiosarcoma lung metastases, are an unusual cause of pulmonary haemorrhage. Methods: Report of a case. Results: This case describes a 38‐year‐old previously healthy male who presented with chest wall bruising followed by haemoptysis and a cerebellar haemorrhage. The patient developed diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage. A biopsy of the chest wall lesion indicated a haematoma and an open‐lung biopsy suggested the diagnosis of vasculitis. The patient died within 3 months after initial presentation and an autopsy revealed a chest wall angiosarcoma with pulmonary and cerebellar metastases. Conclusion: Pulmonary angiosarcoma metastases should be included in the differential diagnosis of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage, especially in a young, previously healthy patient with normal renal function, particularly as the pathological diagnosis may be difficult and even misleading. Please cite this paper as: Hui C. An unusual cause of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2008; 2: 183–186.