Mean Pulmonary Artery Pressure Using Echocardiography in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) is an important pulmonary hemodynamic parameter used in the management of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). We compared echocardiography-derived estimates of MPAP with right heart catheterization (RHC) to identify reliable noninvasive methods of estimating MPAP-derived RHC (MPAPRHC) in these patients. METHODSANDRESULTS Echocardiography and RHC were performed in 56 patients with CTEPH (60.5±12.0 years; 44 females). We measured the tricuspid regurgitation (TR) pressure gradient (TRPG) using echocardiography. The mean systolic right ventricular (RV)-right atrial (RA) gradient was calculated by tracing the TR time velocity flow. Systolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures (SPAPTRand MPAPTR) estimated from TRPG and mean systolic RV-RA gradient were calculated by adding RA pressure based on the inferior vena cava. MPAPChemlawas calculated using Chemla's formula: 0.61×SPAPTR+2 mmHg. MPAPRHCand pulmonary vascular resistance were 35.9±11.3 mmHg and 6.6±3.6 Wood units, respectively. The mean difference from MPAPRHCand limits of agreement were -1.5 mmHg and -19.6 to 16.5 mmHg for MPAPTR, and -4.6 mmHg and -24.5 to 15.2 mmHg for MPAPChemla. Accuracy within 10 mmHg and 5 mmHg of MPAPRHCwas 80.4% and 46.4% for MPAPTR, and 71.4% and 48.2% for MPAPChemla, respectively. CONCLUSIONS MPAPTRand MPAPChemlaare reliable estimates for MPAPRHCin patients with CTEPH. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1259-1264).