Unilateral pulmonary edema
Unilateral pulmonary edema represents only 2% of cardiogenic pulmonary edema with predilection for the right upper lobe and is strongly associated with severe mitral regurgitation . It is hypothesized that the regurgitation jet is directed towards the right superior pulmonary vein thus preferentially increasing the hydrostatic pressure in the right upper lobe .
Pathology
Etiology
Unilateral edema with ipsilateral pathology :
- severe mitral valve regurgitation
- positioning
- re-expansion pulmonary edema
- pulmonary vein occlusion
- congenital or surgical right-to-left shunt (e.g. Blalock-Taussig shunt)
Unilateral edema with perfusion abnormality in the contralateral lung :
- unilateral pulmonary embolism
- unilateral hypoplasia of pulmonary artery
- Swyer-James syndrome
- unilateral emphysema/bullae
See also
