Behçet disease: pulmonary arterial involvement in 15 cases.

PURPOSE: To describe findings at radiologic evaluation of pulmonary arterial involvement in Behçet disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1978 and 1993, 31 pulmonary arterial aneurysms were diagnosed in 15 consecutive male patients, aged 21-56 years (mean, 32 years 5 months), with known Behçet disease. The patients were assessed at chest radiography (n = 15), computed tomography (n = 14), angiography (n = 10), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (n = 2).

RESULTS: Three patients had single and 12 had multiple pulmonary aneurysms. In six patients, aneurysms were associated with pulmonary artery occlusion. Follow-up chest radiography revealed five subjects with progression leading to fatal rupture of aneurysms and two subjects with regression of the aneurysms and cessation of their symptoms.

CONCLUSION: Intravenous digital subtraction angiography was the procedure of choice in the documentation of pulmonary arterial involvement, and MR imaging was most helpful in the presumptive diagnosis of occluded aneurysms. The appearance of pulmonary aneurysms represents a poor prognosis in patients with Behçet disease, but there is a chance that the aneurysms will not rupture.