A Case of Behcet's Syndrome with Rupture of a Pulmonary Aneurysm: Autopsy Findings and a Literature Review

Abstract

A 34 year old man suffering from oral and genital ulceration with uveitis (the complete type of Behcet's syndrome) developed fluctuating radiological opacities in the right lung and showed recurrent hemoptyses. Pulmonary angiography showed multiple aneurysms and obstruction of the pulmonary arteries. After he was treated with predonisolone, the symptoms and pulmonary manifestation improved temporarily. However, he died suddenly from a massive hemoptysis. An autopsy revealed the aneurysmal rupture of right basilar branch of pulmonary artery into the right B6 bronchus. Histopathological findings in the lung showed multiple organized thrombi, inflammatory infiltration and vascular wall destruction of pulmonary arteries of various sizes. Only 47 previously resported cases of Behcet's syndrome which showed pulmonary involvements were revealed by a search of the published literature. © 1986, The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine. All rights reserved.