Surgical management of a giant left distal pulmonary artery aneurysm caused by Behcet’s disease

Abstract

Pulmonary artery (PA) aneurysm is a very rare complication of Behcet’s disease. We report on a 14-year-old boy with a giant left distal PA aneurysm caused by Behcet’s disease. A left thoracotomy was first performed to separate the aneurysm, but it was interrupted due to continuous and massive tracheorrhagia. We immediately converted to a median sternotomy and established cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The patient’s condition was stable; aneurysmectomy and left-down lobectomy were successfully performed. Results of the 2-year follow-up were favourable. Based on our experience, we recommend selecting CPB when performing surgery on patients with PAA, especially those with Behcet’s disease.