Summary
Unilateral pulmonary edema
Lezama García De Cortazar J, Lores Domínguez M, Jiménez Caudevilla C, Berruete Cilveti M, Martí Cabané J
Affiliation of the authors
Servicio de Urgencias. Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria. Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital de Zumárraga, Guipúzcoa. Spain.
DOI
Quote
Lezama García De Cortazar J, Lores Domínguez M, Jiménez Caudevilla C, Berruete Cilveti M, Martí Cabané J. Unilateral pulmonary edema. Emergencias. 2009;21:309-11
Summary
Unilateral pulmonary edema has been reported in the literature, but it is a very rare
condition that can easily be confused with other diagnoses. Acute unilateral pulmonary
edema can be either ipsilateral or contralateral to the causative process. An
understanding of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism is essential if we are to
diagnose this condition correctly and prescribe appropriate treatment. We report a case
of left-sided pulmonary edema in a 57-year-old man who had been diagnosed 4 days
earlier with right basilar pneumonia. The absence of any signs of sepsis or left ventricular
failure plus the asymmetric presentation of edema led us to suspect unilateral pulmonary
embolism in the left lung. The diagnosis was confirmed by spiral computed tomography.