title: [Relationship between main pulmonary artery diameter and process of chronic pulmonary disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between main pulmonary artery diameter and process of chronic pulmonary disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 9 cases without pulmonary diseases (control group) and 100 cases with chronic pulmonary diseases, which were divided into 3 groups: the simple chronic pulmonary disease (A group, 37 cases), the compensatory period of chronic cor pulmonale (B group, 20 cases) and the decompensatory period of chronic cor pulmonale (C group, 43 cases). Main pulmonary artery diameter (MPAD) was measured by chest CT. The differences of MPAD among these 4 groups were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a strong positive correlation between pulmonary artery diameter and process of chronic pulmonary disease. Mean MPAD in the group C was higher than that in the group B (P<0.05), and mean MPAD in the group B was higher than that in the group A (P<0.05). Mean MPAD in control group was the smallest one among all groups (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Main pulmonary artery diameter could reflect the process of chronic pulmonary disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiration, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiration, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
authors.forename: Shangjie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed