Abstract:

Objective To summarize the clinical diagnosis and treatment process of Dieulafoy's disease in children, and explore the clinical characteristics and treatment options of the disease. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of a child with bronchial Dieulafoy disease, and relevant literature reports were summarized. Results The patient was an 11-year-old female with acute onset, presenting with cough and hemoptysis, without extrapulmonary symptoms. Bronchoscopy showed a smooth mucosal protrusion at the opening of the right middle and lower lobes, and bronchial artery embolization was considered after bronchial angiography. There was no recurrence of bleeding after bronchial artery embolization treatment. A total of 14 case reports were retrieved, including 17 children, with age of onset ranging from 8 months to 18 years, with a predominance in males. All cases presented with hemoptysis, all the lesions occurred in the right lung. Among the 16 children treated with bronchial artery embolization and/or lobectomy, there were no recurrences, except for 1 child who had hemoptysis again after two bronchial artery embolizations and right upper lobe resection, but did not have a recurrence within 1 year of conservative follow-up. Conclusion Bronchial Dieulafoy disease in childhood is rare. For children with unexplained hemoptysis, nodular elevations seen on bronchoscopy need to be carefully differentiated to avoid blind biopsy. Bronchial artery angiography plays an important role in diagnosing this disease. Bronchial artery embolization is the main treatment for children with bronchial Dieulafoy disease, and if the hemoptysis persists, a lobectomy of the bronchus and lung may be performed.

Key words: bronchial Dieulafoy, hemoptysis, bronchoscopy, child