Non-valvular isolated pulmonary artery vegetations

One of the serious potential complications of complex congenital heart defect (CHD) is bacterial endocarditis. Right sided endocarditis accounts for 5-10% of all cases of infective endocarditis, with the tricuspid valve more frequently affected than the pulmonary valve. Pulmonary artery involvement in bacterial endocarditis is very rare, but when it exists it is almost always associated with endocarditis of the pulmonary valve: isolated pulmonary artery vegetations have not previously been reported before.

A 6-year-old boy with atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), coarctation of the aorta (CA), persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and pulmonary hypertension, who had been operated for closure of PDA, correction of CA and pulmonary artery banding, was readmitted with bacterial endocarditis. In surgery, the VSD was closed with a Dacron patch using interrupted pledget buttressed sutures, and the ASD was closed using primary sutures. After debanding, while pulmonary arteriotomy was performed for patch angioplasty, we observed that the entire pulmonary artery trunk, right and left pulmonary artery branches, were filled with a solid mass, which was successfully treated by surgical excision.

With ongoing improvements in diagnostic tools, especially in echocardiography, antibiotic therapy and surgery, CHD can now be treated successfully in early infancy or childhood.