The effect of oral hydralazine on the pulmonary hemodynamics of patients with pulmonary foreign body granulomatosis.

Six patients, age 32 +/- 5 yr, had biopsy-proven foreign body granulomatosis secondary to the chronic injection of crushed, suspended pentazocine tablets. All patients complained of exercise-induced dyspnea. Measurements were made of mean pulmonary artery pressures (PAP), cardiac outputs (CO), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) at rest and following 9 minutes of steady-state upright exercise. Following this, 50 mg of hydralazine was administered orally. The exercise PAP increased, and exercise PVR following hydralazine rose also. Exercise-induced dyspnea improved in all patients. In patients with foreign body granulomatosis, exercise-induced increases in PAP and PVR are common. This increase in PAP and PVR can be ameliorated somewhat by the acute oral administration of hydralazine. Exercise-induced dyspnea also improves.