BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality and limited treatment options. Recent studies have shown that pulmonary artery denervation improves pulmonary hemodynamics in an experimental model and in an early clinical trial. We aimed to evaluate the nerve distribution around the pulmonary artery, to determine the effect of radiofrequency ...

BACKGROUND Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension who achieve a six-minute walk distance of 380-440 m may have improved prognosis. Using the randomized controlled trial of macitentan in pulmonary arterial hypertension (SERAPHIN), the association between six-minute walk distance and long-term outcomes was explored. METHODS Patients with six-minute walk distance data at Month 6 were dich...

BACKGROUND Current therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension have been adopted on the basis of short-term trials with exercise capacity as the primary end point. We assessed the efficacy of macitentan, a new dual endothelin-receptor antagonist, using a primary end point of morbidity and mortality in a long-term trial. METHODS We randomly assigned patients with symptomatic pulmonary arteri...

REFERENCES 1 Sitbon O, Lascoux-Combe C, Delfraissy JF, et al. Prevalence of HIV-related pulmonary arterial hypertension in the current antiretroviral therapy era. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 177: 108–113. 2 Sitbon O, Gressin V, Speich R, et al. Bosentan for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2004; 170: 1212–121...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of treatment with sildenafil monotherapy in patients with pulmonary hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS An observational study was undertaken in 11 patients with pulmonary hypertension in functional class II or III who received treatment with sildenafil (150 mg/day). Seven of the patients had inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and 4 had pu...

References 1 Montani D, Achouh L, Dorfmuller P, et al. Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease: clinical, functional, radiologic, and hemodynamic characteristics and outcome of 24 cases confirmed by histology. Medicine (Baltimore) 2008; 87: 220–233. 2 Montani D, Price LC, Dorfmuller P, et al. Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. Eur Respir J 2009; 33: 189–200. 3 McLaughlin VV, Badesch DB, Delcroix M, et ...

This study aimed to determine whether the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members soluble VEGF receptor 1 (also called soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1)) and placental growth factor (PlGF) could be used as biomarkers for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Consecutive patients undergoing right heart catheterisation were enrolled (those with mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥...

BACKGROUND Right-sided heart failure has high morbidity and mortality, and may be caused by pulmonary arterial hypertension. Fractal dimension is a differentiated and innovative method used in histological evaluations that allows the characterization of irregular and complex structures and the quantification of structural tissue changes. OBJECTIVE To assess the use of fractal dimension in car...

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is the end result of persistent obstruction of the pulmonary arteries following episodes of acute and/or recurrent pulmonary emboli [1]. Pulmonary hypertension probably stems from a smaller pulmonary arterial cross sectional area due to thrombus organisation and a redistribution of blood flow through the patent pulmonary arterial bed produci...

Riociguat (Adempas): a novel agent for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.