Pulmonary Artery Dissection Post-blunt Thoracoabdominal Trauma

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary artery dissection is a rare condition that is usually diagnosed in patients exhibiting chronic pulmonary arterial hypertension, congenital heart abnormalities or secondary to iatrogenic injury. Diagnosis is often made at autopsy as many patients experience sudden death when the pulmonary artery dissection progresses rapidly and ruptures into the pericardium, resulting in acute cardiac tamponade. Case Presentation: We report a case of pulmonary artery dissection, which resulted from blunt thoracic trauma diagnosed in the emergency department.

Etiological classification and manifestation of pulmonary artery dissection: A literature review and case analysis

“…Chronic pulmonary hypertension results in dilatation of the pulmonary artery trunk, leading to susceptibility to media degeneration and subsequently dissection. Other aetiologies include degenerative/metabolic [ 19 ], traumatic [ 20 ], infectious [ 21 ], inflammatory [ 22 ], iatrogenic [ 23 ], or unknown causes [ 24 ]. However, PAD etiological classification remains unclear.…”