Pulmonary Hypertension, Cor Pulmonale, and other Pulmonary Vascular Conditions

Abstract

This review covers the diseases that affect the pulmonary vasculature directly. These conditions include pulmonary hypertension; pulmonary arterial hypertension; chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; pulmonary hypertension attributed to left heart disease, lung disease and/or hypoxemia, and other disorders; cor pulmonale; pulmonary atriovenous malformations; and pulmonary aneurysms. Figures show changes in the pulmonary vasculature in pulmonary hypertension, pathways involved in the development of pulmonary hypertension, general guidelines for the evaluation of suspected pulmonary hypertension, enlarged proximal pulmonary arteries with pruning of distal pulmonary vasculature (typical of advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension), the remodeling of the heart and continuous-wave Doppler study results observed with chronic pulmonary hypertension, ventilation and perfusion scans of the lungs with results typical of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and a general approach to the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Tables list the revised nomenclature and classification of pulmonary hypertension, the World Health Organization classification of functional capacity in patients with pulmonary hypertension, advanced vascular medications for pulmonary artery hypertension, and perioperative management of pulmonary arterial hypertension. This review contains 8 highly rendered figures, 4 tables, and 118 references.