An unusual case of hemoptysis: Pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to a lung abscess

Massive hemoptysis may originate from injured pulmonary arteries, such as from pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms (PAPs). A 93-year-old man, diagnosed with pneumonia, was hospitalized; he later developed a lung abscess (controlled with intravenous antibiotics). On post-hospitalization day 29, he suddenly developed hemoptysis. Multi-detector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) showed an enhanced nodule, diagnosed as a PAP, inside the lung abscess. The hemoptysis resolved, without recurrence, following transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) of the PAP and its feeding arteries. PAPs should be considered in patients with lung abscesses and delayed massive hemoptysis. In these patients, MDCTA and TAE are effective diagnostic and treatment modalities.