A 39 Year-Old Male With Massive Hemoptysis

Abstract

Hemoptysis remains a distressing symptom and, at times, a challenging diagnostic problem. A careful history and detailed physical examination is the first step in identifying the cause of hemoptysis. The chest radiography may yield important information about the underlying cause of hemoptysis. However, in the majority of cases, additional testing is required, which most commonly consists of computarised tomography of thorax and fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Occasionally, the initial evaluation suggests an uncommon cause of hemoptysis that requires one or more specific confirmatory tests such as echocardiography. Here, we describe a patient with mitral stenosis who had massive hemoptysis and required valve replacement.