Work

Vascular etiologies of unilateral pulmonary fibrosis: Case series and literature overview

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Unilateral pulmonary fibrosis (UPF) is an uncommon manifestation of interstitial lung disease that may arise from various causes. Among those, cardiovascular etiology is often overlooked because affected patients do not present history of exposure of any kind, are frequently asymptomatic or present only mild, subtle and nonspecific symptoms. As a result, these cases are usually identified incidentally on imaging performed for unrelated reasons, contributing to under recognition of their true prevalence. We report 3 patients with incidentally detected UPF on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), each associated with a distinct vascular abnormality, both congenital and acquired conditions: unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery, chronic pulmonary thromboembolism, and pulmonary artery branch hypoplasia. Our aim with this case series is to highlights the diverse radiologic patterns of vascular UPF, underscoring the importance of considering vascular causes in the differential diagnosis of unilateral fibrotic lung disease.

Source: Radiology Case Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2025.11.010

Authors: Diletta Cozzi, Luca Gozzi, Edoardo Cavigli, Chiara Moroni, Alessandra Bindi, Elisabetta Rosi, Sara Tomassetti, Vittorio Miele

Institutions: Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, University of Florence

Language: English

Topic: Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $600