title: [Helical computerized tomography of the thorax in the diagnosis of unresolved chronic pulmonary thromboembolism].
abstract: We assessed the diagnostic usefulness of helical CT scan of the thorax in the setting of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension by prospectively comparing the results of helical CT scan to those of the pulmonary angiogram (gold standard). We studied 40 patients with diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension of diverse etiology (mean age: 40.7 +/- 12 y.o.; mean systolic pulmonary artery pressure: 91 +/- 33 mmHg)). Thirty of these patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and the other ten were used as controls. Diagnosis in control patients included: primary pulmonary hypertension (4); patent ductus arteriosus (2); atrial septal defect (1); rheumatic valve disease (1); ischemic heart disease (1); and acute pulmonary embolism (1). Both helical CT scan and pulmonary angiogram were part of the routine diagnostic work up of these patients, and were, performed and interpreted almost simultaneously (within one week) by a different group of investigators in a blind manner. Only the diagnostic accuracy of the method regarding central (major arteries) vascular lesions was evaluated. Helical CT scan had an overall sensitivity of 100% (29/29), and a specificity of 91% (10/11). Positive predictive and negative predictive values were 96.6% (29/30) and 100% (10/10), respectively. Overall diagnostic accuracy was 97.5% (39/40). We conclude that helical CT scan of the thorax is an excellent alternative approach for the diagnosis of major arteries lesions in the setting of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Cardioneumología, INCICH, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, 14080 México, D.F. sandoval@compuserve.com.mx
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Matheus
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandoval Zárate
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Criales Cortés
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Martínez-Guerra
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pulido
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palomar Lever
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez González
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barragán
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardoso Ramón
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
vernacular_title: La tomografía computarizada helicoidal del tórax en el diagnóstico de la tromboembolia pulmonar crónica no resuelta.