Sign in Subscribe
Tuberculosis

Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Complicated by Pulmonary Aneurysms Requires Prompt Intervention

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) continues to pose a significant clinical challenge, particularly when accompanied by life-threatening complications such as hemoptysis. A recent study reports a rare but serious cause of hemoptysis in TB patients, which is the development of pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms, known as Rasmussen aneurysms. These aneurysms typically arise within or adjacent to tuberculous cavitary lesions.

Key Takeaways:

  • A 57-year-old male patient with MDR-TB was diagnosed in July 2024 and treated with the BPaLM regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin) for 9 months.
  • The patient was re-hospitalized in March 2025 due to hemoptysis and was found to have a pseudoaneurysm arising from a subsegmental pulmonary artery, which was successfully embolized under angiographic guidance.
  • Prompt imaging-based diagnosis and endovascular intervention are critical to avoid life-threatening complications in patients with cavitary MDR-TB.
  • The case highlights the importance of considering Rasmussen aneurysms as a potential cause of hemoptysis in patients with cavitary MDR-TB, even several months after starting antibiotic therapy.
  • The patient recovered well after the embolization procedure, and no further hemoptysis occurred.

Statistics:

  • 57 years: The age of the patient diagnosed with MDR-TB.
  • 7 months: The duration of therapy the patient received before being re-hospitalized due to hemoptysis.
  • 9 months: The extended duration of the BPaLM regimen treatment.
  • 2024 (July): The month the patient was diagnosed with MDR-TB.
  • 2025 (March): The month the patient was re-hospitalized due to hemoptysis.
  • 2025 (October): The month the research was published.

Sources:

  • Hemoptysis in a patient with MDR-tuberculosis: successful diagnosis with photon counting CT and embolization of a Rasmussen aneurysm. Infection, 2025. Infection can be contacted at: Springer Heidelberg, Tiergartenstrasse 17, D-69121 Heidelberg, Germany.
  • NewsRx. Findings from University Hospital Essen Provides New Data on Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis (Hemoptysis in a patient with MDR-tuberculosis: successful diagnosis with photon counting CT and embolization of a Rasmussen aneurysm). TB & Outbreaks Week. October 21, 2025; p 1410.

Read more