Pulmonary Capillary Hemangiomatosis in Chronic Cardiac Failure due to Aortic Stenosis

We report a case of pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis in a patient with aortic stenosis. An 86-year-old Japanese female with chronic heart failure due to aortic stenosis suddenly died during hemodialysis. At an autopsy, severe aortic stenosis and cardiomegaly with both left and right ventricular hypertrophy were noted. In the lung, a diffuse proliferation of capillaries in the thickened alveolar septum and collections of hemosiderin-laden macrophages in the alveolar space were observed. These indicated that long-standing passive congestion from aortic stenosis might result in the occurrence of pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis. [Introduction]Pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) is a rare condition which is one of the histological subtypes observed in the case of primary (idiopathic) pulmonary hypertension. [1] On the other hand, chronic and passive congestion of the lung also results in secondary pulmonary hypertension, in which pulmonary arteries and veins show medial thickening, featured as congestive vasculopathy[2].