Selective bronchial arteriography in children.

Twenty nine selective bronchial arteriographies were carried out in 25 children. In 5 cases the findings were normal. In 1 case an aneurysm of the bronchial artery was demonstrated as the source of the bleeding into the bronchus in a case of Rendu-Weber-Osler syndrome. In 1 case a plasmocytoma and in another one a congenital haemangiomatous network with many anastomoses to the pulmonary circulation was demonstrated. In most cases of chronic inflammatory pulmonary disease, the bronchial arteries were dilated and bronchopulmonary anastomoses were visualized. These changes seemed to be a measure of the extent of the disease and of the severity of the functional disturbance in pulmonary tissue, even when only regional. Selective bronchial arteriography is recommended in all cases of haemoptysis, in chronic pulmonary collapse and in chronic inflammatory lung disease in order to determine the source of the bleeding and the extent of involvement of the pulmonary interstitium.