Clinical study of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH)

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a hemodynamic and pathophysiological conditiondefined as an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) ≥25 mmHg at rest as assessed byright heart catheterization (RHC). Although there is some underestimation and overestimation of PAPbetween transthoracic Doppler echo (DE) and RHC, Doppler echo remains an indispensable screeningtool for the assessment of PH.Objective: clinical evaluation of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and assessvasoreactivity testing to identify patients who may benefit from long term therapy with calcium channelblockers (CCBs).Patients and methods: This prospective study was performed in the cardiac catheterization division inAl-Zahraa teaching hospital in Al-Kut. We studied the prevalence of certain variables among forty twopatients with PPH from "March 2014 to Nov 2016" including the clinical triggers, electrocardiographic(ECG) changes, Echocardiographic variables , RHC and vasoreactivity test with intravenous adenosineto identify acute positive responders and long term responders to CCB.Results: A total of forty two patients, female to male ratio were 2.8:1 with a mean age of 38±10(years).Dyspnea is a common clinical trigger (85%). Abnormal ECG was found in (90.5%) of patients, themajority had right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) (76.2%). Echocardiographically all patients hadRVH. There was some differences in mean PAP (36±4.9mmhg) derived by DE from that obtained byRHC (47±4.78mmhg). RHC reveal that 6 patients (15.78%) were acute positive responders tointravenous adenosine and about 4 patients (66%) were long term responders to CCB during 3monthsfollow up echocardiography.Conclusions: There is some discrepancy in the mean PAP between Doppler echo and RHC within ±10mm Hg for pulmonary artery pressure estimates. 15.7% of patients at RHC were acute positiveresponder to intravenous adenosine and half of them were long term responder to CCB.