Pulmonary artery dissection-A review of 150 cases

Pulmonary artery dissection (PAD) is considered to be a rare condition with a very high mortality. Since a comprehensive review on PAD has not yet been done, we analysed all the available reports on PAD. In this analysis and review we searched the databases; Medline, PubMed Central, Directory of Open Access Journals, Google Scholar using the search term "Pulmonary Artery Dissection" with no language restrictions. In the 150 cases of PAD reported from 1842 to June 2018, the average age at diagnosis was 44.8 years with a male to female ratio of 1.1:1. Diagnosis was made in 49.3% of the males in the third and fourth decades, and 55.4% of the females in the fifth and sixth decades. The primary underlying causes were pulmonary hypertension and heart diseases, both congenital (mainly PDA) and acquired. The commonest clinical presentations were dyspnoea and chest pain. The best investigation of diagnosis was CT scan. The pulmonary trunk was the site of dissection in 72.5%. Surgical treatment, or medical management followed by surgery, had the best success rates. The overall survival rate which was 10.9% up to the year 2000, increased to 59.3% thereafter. If PAD was diagnosed ante-mortem, 70.5% survived. Haemopericardium / cardiac tamponade was seen at autopsy in 84.2%. PAD is not as rare, nor as fatal as believed, and with a high index of suspicion and appropriate investigations, an early diagnosis of PAD can be made and successful treatment instituted.