Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for the Treatment of Nonoperable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: Single-Center Experience with Low Initial Complication Rate.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) for nonoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients during the initial experience of a single center.

METHODS

A total of 18 CTEPH patients (5 with residual pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy) were treated with BPA during the period 2014-2018 and were retrospectively reviewed. Mean age was 61 ± 19 years; 55% were female; mean pulmonary artery pressure was 44 ± 12 mmHg; cardiac output was 4.3 ± 1.0 l/min; and pulmonary vascular resistance was 8.4 ± 3.6 WU. Patients were evaluated by New York Heart Association functional class, 6-minute walk distance, N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide, echocardiography, right heart catheterization, and before and after completions of BPA.

RESULTS

A total of 91 procedures were performed, with a median number of 4 BPA sessions per patient (range, 2-8). There were no deaths or major complications requiring extracorporeal support or (non)invasive ventilation. The most common complication was self-limiting hemoptysis (3%). According to Society of Interventional Radiology classification, 4 mild, 4 moderate, and 1 severe adverse events were noted. Invasive hemodynamics significantly improved, with a cardiac index increase of 15% (P = .0333), decrease of mean pulmonary artery pressure of 30% (P = .0013), and decrease of pulmonary vascular resistance of 45% (P = .0048). Stroke volume index (P = .0171) and pulmonary arterial compliance (P = .0004) were also significantly enhanced.

CONCLUSIONS

BPA significantly improves cardiopulmonary hemodynamics with an acceptable safety profile. Further studies assessing the long-term efficacy of BPA are required.