Bronchial arterial enlargement

Last revised by Yuranga Weerakkody on 7 Mar 2023

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Weerakkody Y, Knipe H, Baba Y, et al. Bronchial arterial enlargement. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 19 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-29751

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-29751

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/29751

rID:

29751

Article created:

19 Jun 2014, Yuranga Weerakkody ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Yuranga Weerakkody had no recorded disclosures.

View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures

Last revised:

7 Mar 2023, Yuranga Weerakkody ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Yuranga Weerakkody had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.

View Yuranga Weerakkody's current disclosures

Revisions:

9 times, by 5 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Chest

Tags:

cases, case2

Synonyms:

Bronchial artery hypertrophy (BAH)
Enlarged bronchial artery
Enlarged bronchial arteries
Bronchial arterial hypertrophy
Bronchial artery dilatation
Bronchial arterial dilatation
Enlargement of bronchial arteries

Bronchial arterial enlargement or hypertrophy usually occurs as a result of bronchial pulmonary shunting and is a risk factor for hemoptysis.

underlying parenchymal pathology
- bronchiectasis: especially in those with pulmonary manifestations of cystic fibrosis
- infections, e.g. tuberculosis, aspergilloma, lung abscess ⁹
those with certain forms of pulmonary hypertension ²
chronic pulmonary embolism ⁶
congenital heart disease, e.g. tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary agenesis, ALCAPA syndrome ⁹
following certain congenital cardiac anomalies repairs, e.g. arterial switch for simple transposition of the great arteries ¹
Takayasu arteritis: late finding ⁹
fibrosing mediastinitis ⁹

Radiographic features

Assessment of the presence and extent of bronchial arterial enlargement is particularly important in those presenting with hemoptysis.

CT

The bronchial arteries typically arise from the thoracic aorta at the T3-T8 levels. 80% of arteries arise from the T5 to T6 level. Enlarged arteries are often seen and dilated tortuous vessels at this level in the mediastinum. In this situation, the proximal bronchial arteries are usually >2 mm ^2,7.

References

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2. W. Richard Webb, Charles B. Higgins. Thoracic Imaging. (2010) ISBN: 9781605479767 - Google Books
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8. Walker C, Rosado-de-Christenson M, Martínez-Jiménez S, Kunin J, Wible B. Bronchial Arteries: Anatomy, Function, Hypertrophy, and Anomalies. Radiographics. 2015;35(1):32-49. doi:10.1148/rg.351140089 - Pubmed
9. Almeida J, Leal C, Figueiredo L. Evaluation of the Bronchial Arteries: Normal Findings, Hypertrophy and Embolization in Patients with Hemoptysis. Insights Imaging. 2020;11(1):70. doi:10.1186/s13244-020-00877-4 - Pubmed
10. Dohna M, Kühl H, Sutharsan S et al. Bronchial Artery Diameter in Massive Hemoptysis in Cystic Fibrosis. BMC Pulm Med. 2022;22(1):424. doi:10.1186/s12890-022-02233-2 - Pubmed