title: False-positive diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension by Doppler echocardiography.
abstract: A 37-yr-old female presented with a history of several months of exertional dyspnoea. A diagnosis of primary pulmonary hypertension was suspected on the basis of a negative extensive cardiorespiratory work-up with a systolic pulmonary artery pressure of 41-46 mmHg calculated from repeated measurement of the maximum velocity of tricuspid regurgitation jets at 2.8-3 m x s(-1) by continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography. However, a right heart catheterization with a high-fidelity transducer-tipped catheter revealed pulmonary artery pressures of 22/8 mmHg at rest, which remained within normal limits at exercise. This case indicates a possible misleading overestimation of pulmonary artery pressures from Doppler echocardiographic studies of tricuspid regurgitation.
authors.affiliation: Medical-Surgical Dept of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vachiéry
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brimioulle
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Crasset
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naeije
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery