Unilateral pulmonary edema due to pulmonary venous obstruction from fibrosing mediastinitis

Abstract

An unusual case of fibrosing mediastinitis with obstruction of the inferior and superior left pulmonary veins and severe narrowing of the right pulmonary artery, disclosed after unilateral pulmonary edema, is described. The 18-year-old male patient had a long history of cough, progressive dyspnea and recurrent hemoptysis and the possible diagnosis of "interstitial fibrosis" from a previous lung biopsy. The diagnosis and the pulmonary vessels involvement were suspected after right heart catheterization combined with transesophageal echocardiography and confirmed during urgent thoracotomy and at postmortem examination. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.