False Aneurysm of the Pulmonary Artery with Peripheral Venous Thrombosis

Aneurysms of the pulmonary artery are usually of its extrapulmonary portion (Boyd and Mc- Gavack, 1939; Deterling and Clagett, 1947).Intrapulmonary aneurysms are less common, and, when present, are usually mycotic.A rare association of aneurysms of medium- sized branches of the pulmonary artery, venous thrombosis of the legs, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis as part of a systemic illness has been described (Pirani, Ewart, and Wilson, 1949; Hughes and Stovin, 1959).Pirani et al. (1949) thought the process in the pulmonary artery was mycotic from infected emboli originating in the leg veins.Hughes and Stovin (1959) also asso- ciated the pulmonary aneurysm with embolism of the pulmonary vessel in the presence of abnormal bronchial arteries.This case report is of a similar triad, leg vein thrombosis, sagittal sinus thrombosis, an aneurysm of a branch of the left superior pulmonary artery, and, in addition, an aneurysm of a systemic artery.We suggest that these lesions are due to a 'collagen disease'.