Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Weerakkody Y, Bell D, Elfeky M, et al. Pulmonary venous varix. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 15 May 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-19541
A pulmonary vein varix (PVV) (plural: varices), also known as pulmonary venous aneurysm, refers to a localized aneurysmal dilatation of a pulmonary vein. As it involves a venous structure, varix is usually considered to be the more appropriate term. They are rare and may be congenital or acquired.
Associations
They are usually asymptomatic.
While they can occur anywhere in the chest, pulmonary venous varices are thought to typically occur at the confluence of the veins adjacent to the left atrium 3.
They are sometimes classified into three morphological types:
Plain radiograph
Non-specific and can present as a mass on a chest radiograph 1.
CT
CT pulmonary angiography is the mainstay of diagnosis 2 as it allows accurate delineation of arterial and venous anatomy.
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