[Image-guided minimally invasive treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension due to embolic disease].
OBJECTIVE
Although surgical pulmonary thromboendarterectomy is the treatment of choice for pulmonary hypertension due to chronic thrombotic and/or embolic disease, minimally invasive endovascular techniques such as angioplasty or placement of a metallic stent can provide acceptable results when surgery is not indicated or has been refused by the patient.


METHODS
Eight patients (5 men, 3 women; mean age, 62.6 years) were treated. The patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV and had a mean pulmonary artery pressure of 40 mm Hg and more, a capillary wedge pressure of 15 mm Hg or less, or a Miller index greater than 0.5. In all cases, diagnosis was based on Doppler echocardiography, pulmonary angiography, hemodynamic evaluation, and ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy. All patients received fibrinolytic therapy and underwent angioplasty. A metallic stent was implanted in 3 patients. Follow-up echocardiographic assessment and ventilation-perfusion scans were scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.


RESULTS
The procedures were technically successful in all cases. The mean follow-up period was 18.7 months. Minor complications were extrasystoles (3 cases), slight bruising at the site of puncture (1 case), and rectal bleeding that resolved without treatment (1 case). One patient died from an unknown cause 24 hours after the procedure. In all other cases, improvements were noted in NYHA functional class, in hemodynamics demonstrated by echocardiography, and in vascular structure as shown by arteriography and scintigraphy.


CONCLUSIONS
Minimally invasive endovascular interventions can help improve pulmonary arterial hypertension due to chronic thrombotic and/or embolic disease in patients for whom medical or surgical treatment is not possible.
de Gregorio
Miguel Angel
MA
Unidad de Cirugía Mínimamente Invasiva Guiada por Imagen, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain. mgregori@unizar.es
Laborda
Alicia
A
Ortas
Rosario
R
Higuera
Teresa
T
Gómez-Arrue
Javier
J
Medrano
Joaquín
J
Mainar
Antonio
A
D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000150:complications*; D015607:Stents