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Disseminated microvascular pulmonary tumor cell embolism: a rare cause of fulminant pulmonary hypertension.

Steiner S, Plehn G, Reinecke P, Cohnen M, Schwartzkopff B, Hennersdorf MG, Strauer BE

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany. Steinest@uni-duesseldorf.de

BACKGROUND: Disseminated pulmonary tumor embolization is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension and is often diagnosed only after the patient has died. CASE REPORT: We report on a 41-year-old male who was admitted because of severe dyspnea and tachycardia. Contrast enhanced spiral computed tomography did neither establish pulmonary thromboembolism nor pulmonary metastasis. Right heart catheterization revealed severe pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) 678 dyn x sec x cm(-5)). PVR did not respond to therapy with intravenous nitrate or inhaled iloprost in this critically ill patient. 2 days after admission, the patient died because of refractory right heart failure. Autopsy revealed microscopic pulmonary tumor embolism due to a metastasizing adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. CONCLUSION: Disseminated tumor cell embolism should be considered as a rare differential diagnosis in patients with refractory pulmonary hypertension.

Published 13 December 2004 in Onkologie, 27(6): 566-8.
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