Bronchial Dieulafoy disease: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Bronchial Dieulafoy disease (BDD) is a rare disease characterized by abnormal dilation or malformation of the submucosal artery of the bronchus. This disease features a low incidence, but its bleeding is rapid and occult, which easily leads to delayed diagnosis, endangers life, and is difficult to handle clinically. Currently, its diagnosis mainly relies on bronchoscopy and angiography, and treatment methods include endoscopic treatment, interventional embolization, and surgical operation. There are still many unsolved problems regarding the exact pathogenesis, treatment timing, treatment method selection, and long-term management of this disease. This article reports a case of a 54-year-old male patient who was admitted due to repeated hemoptysis for 2 years. During hospitalization, bronchoscopy was performed, and the result showed a nodule in the anterior segment of the right upper lung (brown vascular shadow seen on NBI). In view of the patient's repeated hemoptysis and high risk of massive bleeding, Bronchial Artery Embolization (BAE) was performed for him after obtaining the patient's consent. The operation successfully embolized the patient's diseased bronchial artery, and the patient did not experience hemoptysis again after the operation. During the follow-up period outside the hospital, the patient did not have hemoptysis again.