title: Optical coherence tomography for hypertensive pulmonary vasculature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an intravascular imaging modality capable of providing in situ images of tissues at near histologic resolution. In this study we examine the utility of OCT in identifying vascular changes related to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
  
  
  RESULTS
  OCT of four different distal pulmonary arteries was performed during right heart catheterization in 87 patients, 64 patients with PAH and 23 patients with CTEPH. The mean luminal diameter measured by OCT for all patients was 2.26mm. Intimal thickening was significantly increased in all PAH patients (0.26±0.05mm in idiopathic PAH, 0.24±0.03mm in connective tissue disease related PAH, 0.26±0.06mm in congenital heart disease related PAH and 0.22±0.04mm in CTEPH, respectively) compared with controls (0.13±0.03mm) (all p<0.05). An intimal thickness of ≥0.176mm had a 91% positive predictive value for pulmonary hypertension. The anatomic abnormalities revealed by OCT tended to be severe in the idiopathic PAH group and mild in the CTEPH group. Signs of intravascular webs were found in 60.9% of CTEPH patients, but no other patients. Intimal thickness was moderately correlated with pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance (r=0.423 and 0.439, respectively, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OCT provides important information for assessment of pulmonary arterial remodeling in patients with PAH and improves diagnostic capability of angiographically undetected distal-thrombotic lesions in patients with CTEPH.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 100037.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Jiang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 100037.
authors: Fu-Hua
authors: FH
authors: Peng
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 100037.
authors: Qian-Qian
authors: QQ
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Cardio-Pulmonary Circulation, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 200433.
authors: Qin-Hua
authors: QH
authors: Zhao
authors: Department of Cardio-Pulmonary Circulation, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 200433.
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: He
authors: Department of Cardio-Pulmonary Circulation, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 200433.
authors: Rong
authors: R
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Cardio-Pulmonary Circulation, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 200433.
authors: Lan
authors: L
authors: Wang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 100037.
authors: Xi-Qi
authors: XQ
authors: Xu
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 100037.
authors: Jing-Hui
authors: JH
authors: Li
authors: University of California, Los Angeles, and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, USA.
authors: Ramin
authors: R
authors: Ebrahimi
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, FuWai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 100037; Department of Cardio-Pulmonary Circulation, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 200433. Electronic address: jingzhicheng@vip.163.com.
authors: Zhi-Cheng
authors: ZC
authors: Jing
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; Optical coherence tomography; Pulmonary arterial hypertension