The role of arterial embolization in pediatric Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis: a case report and literature review

Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis is a rare life-threatening disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage. Currently, there are still many unresolved questions concerning its actual etiopathogenesis and, consequently, the most appropriate treatment to adopt. Through our case report we aim to highlight the role of angiography in identifying the presence of abnormal pulmonary collaterals as a possible cause of therapeutic failure. Although further studies are needed and even if it remains unclear if they are simultaneous problems or causative of one another, embolization of abnormal pulmonary arteries appears to play an important role in cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis unresponsive to conventional therapies and presenting severe side effects due to immunosuppression. After an extensive literature review, we found only two studies supporting our hypothesis; to our knowledge, this is the first case in Western world.