Lower pulmonary veins are likely to have a pulmonary vein thrombus

Keywords

Pulmonary vein thrombus;64-MDCT

Pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT) was hypothesized as rare. However, since 2014, I have published several cases of PVT in elderly patients with chest pain using 64-slice multidetector computed tomography [1]; [2]; [3]; [4]; [5]; [6]; [7]; [8]; [9] ;  [10]. In 2014, I reported that 61% (35 patients) of 57 elderly patients had PVT [9], suggesting that PVT is common in elderly patients with chest pain; however, the pulmonary vein that is likely to contain a thrombus is unknown. I reviewed the images of PVT from 26 of 35 patients with PVT. The mean age of the 26 patients was 74.1 ± 7.1 years (mean ± standard deviation) and the range was from 60 years to 93 years of age. Fourteen patients had a thrombus in the right lower pulmonary vein (RLPV), and 14 patients had a thrombus in the left lower pulmonary vein (LLPV). Five patients had a thrombus in the right middle pulmonary vein (RMPV), and five patients had a thrombus in the right upper pulmonary vein (RUPV). Nine patients had a thrombus in the left upper pulmonary vein (LUPV). A total of 47 thrombi were identified in 26 patients with PVT, and 15 patients had more than two pulmonary vein thrombi. The lower pulmonary veins had 28 thrombi (60%). The right and left lower pulmonary veins are likely to contain a pulmonary vein thrombus. The right pulmonary vein had 24 thrombi (51%). The right pulmonary vein (24) and left pulmonary vein (23) contain thrombi at a similar frequency.

The ratio of pulmonary vein thrombus existence is RLPV = 3, RMPV = 1, RUPV = 1, LLPV = 3, and LUPV = 2 (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. The frequency ratio of the pulmonary vein thrombi is shown. The frequency ratio of the right lower pulmonary vein (RLPV) is 3. The frequency ratio of the right middle pulmonary vein (RMPV) is 1. The frequency ratio of the right upper pulmonary vein (RUPV) is 1. The frequency ratio of the left lower pulmonary vein (LLPV) is 3. The frequency ratio of the left upper pulmonary vein (LUPV) is 2. LA: left atrium; LLPV: left lower pulmonary vein; LUPV: left upper pulmonary vein; RLPV: right lower pulmonary vein; RMPV: right middle pulmonary vein; RUPV: right upper pulmonary vein.

Conflict of interest

The author reports no relationships that could be construed as a conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

None.

References

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