Absence of the left pulmonary artery in a young man with haemoptysis

We report the case of a white male aged 21 yrs, who was admitted for acute onset of haemoptysis. His past medical history was normal and he had not previously been hospitalized. He was very active in track and field sports and was trained in scuba-diving. Physical examination revealed a grade 2/6 holosystolic heart murmur. Laboratory parameters, blood gases and pulmonary function tests were within the normal range. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy revealed normal geometry of the bronchi, with blood clots in the left lower lobe. An X-ray of the chest showed that the heart was shifted to the left side. In the perfusion scan, defects of the tracer on the left lung were detected. By ergospirometry, no significantly pathological response to exercise using a bicycle ergometer could be observed. By means of pulmonary artery catheterization, cardioangiography and selective angiography of the aorta the absence of the left pulmonary artery could be established, without any further malformations of the cardiopulmonary system. Because of the spontaneous cessation of haemoptysis, no surgical intervention was necessary.