Pictorial review of the pulmonary vasculature: from arteries to veins

Abstract

Pathology of the pulmonary vasculature involves an impressive array of both congenital and acquired conditions. While some of these disorders are benign, disruption of the pulmonary vasculature is often incompatible with life, making these conditions critical to identify on imaging. Many reviews of pulmonary vascular pathology approach the pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins and bronchial arteries as individual topics. The goal of this review is to provide an integrated overview of the high-yield features of all major disorders of the pulmonary vasculature. This approach provides a more cohesive and comprehensive conceptualisation of respiratory pathology. In this review, we present both the salient clinical and imaging features of congenital and acquired disorders of the pulmonary vasculature, to assist the radiologist in identifying pathology and forming a robust differential diagnosis tailored to the presenting patient.

Teaching Points

• Abnormalities of the pulmonary vasculature are both congenital and acquired.

• Pathology of a single pulmonary vascular territory often affects the entire pulmonary vasculature.

• Anomalous pulmonary venous flow is named as a function of its location and severity.

• Bronchial arteries often undergo dilatation secondary to cardio-respiratory pathology.

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