title: Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in patients with schistosomal liver fibrosis.
abstract: Between the April and July of 2007, patients undergoing treatment for schistosomal liver fibrosis, at a university hospital in north-eastern Brazil, were examined by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTE). The main aim was to determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in the patients. The thorax of each patient who had such hypertension, as indicated by an estimated pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) in excess of 35 mmHg, was then investigated by contrast-enhanced multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT). The 84 patients (53 women and 31 men) enrolled in the study had a mean (S.D.) age of 50.06 (12.25) years. Nine (10.7%, with a 95% confidence interval of 5.0%-19.4%) of the patients were found to have pulmonary hypertension, with PASP ranging from 40-126 mmHg, and a median (S.D.) PASP of 58.78 (28.01) mmHg. The contrast-enhanced thoracic MDCT indicated that most of the patients with pulmonary hypertension had a pulmonary artery trunk that was unusually wide (67%) and more than 1.1-fold wider than the ascending aorta (56%), dilatation of the main pulmonary arteries (100%), a segmental artery that, in diameter, was more than 1.1-fold larger than the adjacent bronchi (89%), tapering of the peripheral pulmonary arteries (78%), and cardiac enlargement (78%). No patient suffered pulmonary embolism as a result of the investigations. The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in the patients with schistosomal liver fibrosis (10.7%) justifies the screening of such patients by TTE.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Oswaldo Cruz (HUOC), University of Pernambuco, Rua Arnóbio Marques, 310, Santo Amaro, CEP 50100-130, Recife, PE, Brazil. rcs.ferreira@terra.com.br
authors.forename: R C S
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: A L C
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Domingues
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Bandeira
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Markman Filho
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Albuqerque Filho
authors.forename: A C C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Correiade de Araújo
authors.forename: L J B
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markman
authors.forename: A R L
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Campelo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008109:Liver Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014797:Vital Capacity; D055815:Young Adult