An unusual cause of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage

Diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening complication of a variety of conditions. Tumours, including angiosarcoma lung metastases, are an unusual cause of pulmonary haemorrhage.

Report of a case.

This case describes a 38-year-old previously healthy male who presented with chest wall bruising followed by haemoptysis and a cerebellar haemorrhage. The patient developed diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage. A biopsy of the chest wall lesion indicated a haematoma and an open-lung biopsy suggested the diagnosis of vasculitis. The patient died within 3 months after initial presentation and an autopsy revealed a chest wall angiosarcoma with pulmonary and cerebellar metastases.

Pulmonary angiosarcoma metastases should be included in the differential diagnosis of diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage, especially in a young, previously healthy patient with normal renal function, particularly as the pathological diagnosis may be difficult and even misleading.