Evaluation of patients with suspected chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1999 Apr;11(2):179-90. doi: 10.1016/s1043-0679(99)70011-0.

Abstract

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) can be a difficult diagnosis to establish, typically requiring a high index of suspicion on the part of the clinician when challenged by a patient reporting exertional dyspnea. The importance of this diagnosis is heightened by the appreciation that it is a potentially curable form of pulmonary hypertension, by a surgical procedure called pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. This article highlights the clinical presentation, evaluation, and criteria for surgical candidacy of those patients suspected of having CTEPH.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Chronic Disease
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / diagnosis
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / etiology
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary / surgery*
  • Lung / blood supply
  • Pulmonary Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Pulmonary Artery / surgery*
  • Pulmonary Embolism / complications
  • Pulmonary Embolism / diagnosis
  • Pulmonary Embolism / surgery*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed