[The hemodynamic changes in the course of the development from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to cor pulmonale].

Swan-Ganz catheterization was done in 36 cases of COPD (19 cases) and chronic cor pulmonale (17 cases) patients diagnosed clinically. The results showed that exercise might greatly increase the rate of early diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale in 47.4%, which is significant in clinical practice, together with gamma-camera, echocardiography and vectorcardiography, it can further increase the early diagnostic rate of cor pulmonale. In these 36 cases, 13 cases had no pulmonary hypertension and in 7 cases of them pulmonary arterial mean pressure were still in normal range even after exercise. If only right heart catheterization was used to diagnose cor-pulmonale without above three noninvasive examinations mentioned above, a high rate of misdiagnosis cor pulmonale would be possible.