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Fatal bronchovascular fistula after lobectomy visualized through postmortem computed tomography angiography: A case report

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Abstract

False aneurysm of the pulmonary artery complicated by bronchovascular fistula formation represents a rare life threating condition. We report a case of fatal hemoptysis after formation of a bronchial fistula in the late postoperative period after sleeve lobectomy. Cause of death was determined by external postmortem examination, post mortem computed tomography (PMCT) and angiography (PMCTA) without conventional autopsy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland

    Philipp Hinderberger, Barbara Fliss, Michael J. Thali & Wolf Schweitzer

Authors
  1. Philipp Hinderberger
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  2. Barbara Fliss
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  3. Michael J. Thali
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  4. Wolf Schweitzer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philipp Hinderberger.

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Funding

The authors express their gratitude to Emma Louise Kessler, MD for her generous donation to the Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Hinderberger, P., Fliss, B., Thali, M.J. et al. Fatal bronchovascular fistula after lobectomy visualized through postmortem computed tomography angiography: A case report. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 13, 234–239 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-017-9867-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-017-9867-4

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