Myriad Faces of Active Tuberculosis: Intrapulmonary Bronchial Artery Pseudoaneurysm

Bronchial artery (BA) pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon vascular complication of tuberculosis (TB), and early diagnosis is crucial due to risk of rupture and life-threatening hemorrhage. Immediate intervention is warranted in massive hemoptysis due to high mortality. Various causes of massive hemoptysis are TB, bronchiectasis, aspergilloma, lung abscess, lung cancer, necrotizing pneumonia, and cystic fibrosis. Active pulmonary TB as well as chronic pulmonary TB can manifest with massive hemoptysis. Hemoptysis in active TB occurs due to ulceration in bronchiolar wall, eroding the wall of the adjacent BA or pulmonary artery, and in chronic TB due to hypertrophied bronchial arteries, or bronchiectasis, or aspergilloma. Herein, we report a case of pulmonary TB causing intrapulmonary BA pseudoaneurysm in a young male patient who presented with acute massive hemoptysis. The BA pseudoaneurysm as well as other hypertrophied bronchial arteries were embolized using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles.

Automated summary

Bronchial artery (BA) pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of tuberculosis (TB) that can lead to massive hemoptysis. Immediate intervention is crucial to prevent life-threatening hemorrhage in such cases.