Utility of CT for Predicting Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients With Parenchymal Lung Disease: Similar Results, Different Conclusion?

Abstract

In the September issue of CHEST, Zisman et al1 studied the ability of high-resolution CT to predict pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). They found no correlation between main pulmonary artery diameter (MPAD) and PH by right-heart catheterization, and concluded that “MPAD cannot be used to screen for PH in advanced IPF patients.” In contrast, Tan et al2 studied a similar research question, finding that a MPAD ≥ 29 mm on CT had a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 75%.