Left Inferior Pulmonary Vein Thrombosis and Secondary Lung Infarction Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: A Diagnostic Challenge.
- 1Radiology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, BEL.
- 2Radiology, Erasmus Hospital, Bruxelles, BEL.
Abstract
Radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is a common procedure, but it can be complicated by pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT), a rare and underdiagnosed entity. We report the case of a 39-year-old female presenting with hemoptysis on day four post-ablation. The initial chest computed tomography angiography was interpreted as isolated alveolar hemorrhage, but the follow-up examination at day 31 revealed complete left inferior PVT associated with a secondary pulmonary infarction. Given the non-specific clinical presentation of post-ablation respiratory symptoms, systematic radiological evaluation of the pulmonary veins with adequate vascular contrast enhancement is essential to rule out PVT, a rare yet potentially grave complication, and prevent catastrophic systemic thromboembolic events or irreversible parenchymal damage.
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BibTeX
@article{mbie2026left,
title = {{Left Inferior Pulmonary Vein Thrombosis and Secondary Lung Infarction Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: A Diagnostic Challenge.}},
author = {Karen M'bie and Pascale Bohy and Aurore Margot},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116857},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927409},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Left Inferior Pulmonary Vein Thrombosis and Secondary Lung Infarction Following Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: A Diagnostic Challenge.
AU - Karen M'bie
AU - Pascale Bohy
AU - Aurore Margot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116857
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927409
AB - Radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is a common procedure, but it can be complicated by pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT), a rare and underdiagnosed entity. We report the case of a 39-year-old female presenting with hemoptysis on day four post-ablation. The initial chest computed tomography angiography was interpreted as isolated alveolar hemorrhage, but the follow-up examination at day 31 revealed complete left inferior PVT associated with a secondary pulmonary infarction. Given the non-specific clinical presentation of post-ablation respiratory symptoms, systematic radiological evaluation of the pulmonary veins with adequate vascular contrast enhancement is essential to rule out PVT, a rare yet potentially grave complication, and prevent catastrophic systemic thromboembolic events or irreversible parenchymal damage.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -