Pulmonary artery dissection: an emerging cardiovascular complication in surviving patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary arterial dissection is an extremely rare and usually lethal complication of chronic pulmonary hypertension. The condition usually manifests as cardiogenic shock or sudden death and is therefore typically diagnosed at postmortem examination rather than during life. However, recent isolated reports have described pulmonary artery dissection in surviving patients. The first case of pulmonary artery dissection in a surviving patient with cor pulmonale caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is presented. The aetiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of pulmonary artery dissection are reviewed and factors that may aid diagnosis during life are discussed.
Khattar
R S
RS
Manchester Heart Centre, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK. rskhattar@hotmail.com
Fox
D J
DJ
Alty
J E
JE
Arora
A
A
D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods