title: An alternative echocardiographic method to estimate mean pulmonary artery pressure: diagnostic and clinical implications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to evaluated an alternative echocardiographic method to calculate mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred two patients were studied with simultaneous right-heart catheterization (RHC) and echocardiography. MPAP was calculated by adding the right ventricular-right atrial mean systolic gradient to right atrial pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean difference between MPAP calculated using this method and RHC-derived MPAP was -1.6 mm Hg, less than that of traditional systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP; -6.4 mm Hg) and MPAP estimated using the pulmonary regurgitation method (-13.9 mm Hg). The median absolute percentage difference of the MPAP calculations relative to RHC was significantly less with this method than with the pulmonary regurgitation method (18% vs 71%; P < .001) and similar to the SPAP method (both 18%; P = .30).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MPAP calculated using the proposed method is as accurate as SPAP calculation and less variable than previous methods, thus allowing widespread clinical use.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Javier F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aduen
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castello
authors.forename: Marcelo M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.forename: George N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Hepler
authors.forename: Cesar A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Safford
authors.forename: Julia E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Crook
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Heckman
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Burger
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods*; D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity