Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Behçet's disease: effectiveness of endarterectomy.
Behçet's disease is a systemic vasculitis characterised by recurrent mouth and genital ulcers and uveitis. About 25% of patients suffer from vascular involvement. We describe a patient with Behçet's disease who suffered recurrent pulmonary embolism and developed severe chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. The patient was successfully treated with pulmonary endarterectomy that normalised pulmonary haemodynamics. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a potential complication of Behçet's disease that may be amenable to pulmonary endarterectomy.
Espinosa
Gerard
G
Department of Autoimmune Diseases, Hospital Clínic-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques Pi i Sunyer, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain. gespino@clinic.ub.es
Blanco
Isabel
I
Antón
Juan Miguel
JM
Sánchez
Marcelo
M
Macchiarini
Paolo
P
Barberà
Joan Albert
JA
D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D004691:Endarterectomy; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome