Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Non-contrast dual-energy CT iodine quantification for lung injury characterization after balloon pulmonary angioplasty

ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify differences in iodine concentrations in new-onset pulmonary injuries and normal lung parenchyma after balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) using non-contrast dual-energy CT (NC-DECT) between patients with pulmonary hemorrhage and reperfusion pulmonary edema.

METHODS

Patients undergoing NC-DECT after BPA between January 2019 and April 2023 due to hemoptysis or clinical worsening were retrospectively evaluated for inclusion. Patients were divided based on the presence or absence of BPA-related hemoptysis. Intralesional iodine concentrations were measured in new-onset lung injuries, adjacent normal parenchyma, same lobe, and contralateral lung. CT morphological features, including lesion shape, imaging pattern, absolute density, and ROI size, were recorded. Statistical comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney U, Friedman, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

RESULTS

Thirteen patients with 32 new-onset post-BPA lung injuries were included. Median iodine concentration in lung injuries was significantly higher in patients with hemoptysis than those without (3.4 mg/mL versus 0.6 mg/mL; p < 0.001). In the hemoptysis group, iodine concentration in lung injuries was significantly higher compared with the different locations of normal lung parenchyma (p < 0.001). In the non-hemoptysis group, no significant differences in iodine concentration were observed between lung injuries and normal parenchyma (p = 0.167; p = 0.351; p = 0.246). Absolute density (p = 0.767), lesion shape (p = 0.610), imaging appearance (p = 0.530), ROI area (p = 0.452), and halo sign (p = 0.810) showed no significant correlation with hemoptysis.

CONCLUSION

NC-DECT identifies iodine concentration differences in lung injuries between patients with and without hemoptysis after BPA. Elevated iodine concentrations may serve as an imaging marker for post-procedural pulmonary hemorrhage.

CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

This exploratory study demonstrates the potential of NC-DECT in distinguishing between pulmonary hemorrhage and reperfusion pulmonary edema in lung injuries after BPA in patients with CTEPH. The ability to quantify iodine concentrations in lung lesions offers a novel imaging biomarker for pulmonary hemorrhage, which could play a pivotal role in improving clinical decision-making and management strategies for patients undergoing BPA.

Cone beam CT pulmonary angiography in balloon pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension during the program initiation period

AIM

Cone beam CT pulmonary angiography (CBCT-PA) has proven to be a valuable technique during balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in established centres. This study aimed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of CBCT-PA-guided BPA for CTEPH during the initial period of a BPA program. CBCT-PA improves procedural accuracy by visualising distal thromboembolic lesions and providing real-time guidance, which is critical during program initiation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This single-centre, single-arm study prospectively evaluated patients with CTEPH undergoing BPA from 2017 to 2022. Outcomes of interest included pre-BPA and post-BPA 6-minute walking distance, New York Heart Association Functional Classification (NYHA-FC), mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and BPA-related adverse events (AEs). Statistical analysis compared pre-BPA and post-BPA results. CBCT-PA was used for three-dimensional (3D) vascular mapping and precise lesion targeting.

RESULTS

Ninety BPA sessions were performed on 19 patients under CBCT-PA guidance. Significant improvements were observed in mPAP (37.0 mmHg [interquartile range (IQR): 28.0-46.0] vs 25.5 [IQR: 22.8-31.5]; P<0.001), PVR (5.5 Wood units [IQR: 3.4-8.5] vs 3.3 [IQR: 2.7-4.6]; P < 0.001), NYHA-FC I-II rate (8 [42%] vs 18 [94%]; P = 0.04), and NT-proBNP (165 pg/mL [IQR: 82-1146] vs 127.0 [IQR: 57-216]; P = 0.014). Overall AE rate was 14.4%, and major AE rate was 7.7% (all Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe [CIRSE] grade 3). The haemoptysis rate was 4.4%. No periprocedural deaths were reported.

CONCLUSION

BPA performed under CBCT-PA guidance appeared to be an effective and safe approach in the program's initial period, helping achieving similar results as established centres.

An in-depth evaluation of the efficacy and safety of various treatment modalities for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a major risk for pulmonary hypertension with poor prognosis. Limited data is available on the optimal treatment of choice. We aimed to comprehensively assess the efficacy and safety of CTEPH targeted therapies and update the evidence.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane library up to December 2023 to include randomized controlled trials comparing different therapies in patients with CTEPH. Primary outcomes were 6-minute walk distance (6 MWD), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP). While secondary outcomes were the mean right atrial pressure (mRAP), Borg dyspnea score, cardiac output (CO), cardiac index, adverse events, and all-cause mortality.

Results

Fourteen RCTs comprising 1047 patients were included in this network meta-analysis. Regarding 6 MWD, PADN (MD=113.59, 95% CI: 53.80; 173.39), BPA (MD=48.84, 95% CI: 27.99; 69.69), riociguat (MD=42.59, 95% CI: 22.01; 63.18), treprostinil (MD=41.60, 95% CI: 17.07; 66.13), and macitentan (MD=34.00, 95% CI: 3.50; 64.50) were favored compared to placebo. In terms of PVR, BPA (MD=-392.19, 95% CI: -571.77; -212.62), treprostinil (MD=-287.20, 95% CI: -475.63; -98.77), PADN (MD=-280.61, 95% CI: -506.69; -54.52), bosentan (MD=-176.00, 95% CI: -340.91; -11.09), and riociguat (MD=-171.61, 95% CI: -298.40; -44.81) displayed statistically significant results.

Conclusion

Current therapeutic modalities are effective in terms of improving exercise capacity, pulmonary hemodynamics, and reducing adverse events and all-cause mortality. Overall, BPA and PADN were superior to all other targeted medications in the studied outcomes.

Imaging of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension before, during and after balloon pulmonary angioplasty

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) has recently been elevated as a class I recommendation for the treatment of inoperable or residual chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Proper patient selection, procedural safety, and post-procedural evaluation are crucial in the management of these patients, with imaging work-up playing a pivotal role. Understanding the diagnostic and therapeutic imaging algorithms of CTEPH, the imaging features of patients amenable to BPA, all imaging findings observed during and immediately after the procedure and the changes observed during the follow-up is crucial for all interventional radiologists involved in the care of patients with CTEPH. This article illustrates the imaging work-up of patients with CTEPH amenable to BPA, the imaging findings observed before, during and after BPA, and provides a detailed description of all imaging modalities available for CTEPH evaluation.

Complications in Interventional Radiology: the role of clinical governance and iterative hospital systems in quality improvement

As modern Interventional Radiology (IR) evolves, and expands in scope and complexity, it will push the boundaries of existing literature. However, with all intervention comes risk and it is the shared judgement of the risk-benefit analysis which underpins the ethical and legal principles of care in IR.Complications in medicine are common, said to occur in 9.2% of in-hospital healthcare interactions. Healthcare complications also come at considerable cost. It is estimated that in the UK, prolonging hospital stays to manage complications can cost ₤2 billion per year.However, complications can't be viewed in isolation. Clinical governance is the umbrella within which complications are viewed. It can be defined as a broadly integrated and systematic approach to clinical care and accountability, that seeks to focus on quality of healthcare. This concept incorporates complications but acknowledges their interplay within a complex healthcare system in which negative adverse events are influenced by a range of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. It also includes the processes that result from monitoring and learning from complications, with feedback leading to systems-based improvements in care moving forward. The reality is that complications are uncommonly the result of medical negligence, but rather they are an unfortunate by-product of a healthcare industry with inherent risk.It is also important to remember that complications are not just a number on an audit sheet, but a potentially life-changing event for every patient that is affected. The events that follow immediately from an adverse outcome such as open disclosure are vital, and have implications for how that patient experiences healthcare and trusts healthcare professionals for the rest of their life. We must ensure that the patient and their family maintain trust in healthcare professionals into the future.Credentialling and accreditation are imperative for Interventional Radiologists to meet existing standards as well deal with challenging situations. These should integrate and align within the structure of an organization that has a safety and learning culture. It is the many layers of organisational clinical governance that arguably play the most important role in IR-related complications, rather than apportioning blame to an individual IR.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is associated with a loss of total lung volume on computed tomography

BACKGROUND

Although lung volumes are usually normal in individuals with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), approximately 20%-29% of patients exhibit a restrictive pattern on pulmonary function testing.

AIM

To quantify longitudinal changes in lung volume and cardiac cross-sectional area (CSA) in patients with CTEPH.

METHODS

In a retrospective cohort study of patients seen in our hospital between January 2012 and December 2019, we evaluated 15 patients with CTEPH who had chest computed tomography (CT) performed at baseline and after at least 6 mo of therapy. We matched the CTEPH cohort with 45 control patients by age, sex, and observation period. CT-based lung volumes and maximum cardiac CSAs were measured and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney u test.

RESULTS

Total, right lung, and right lower lobe volumes were significantly reduced in the CTEPH cohort at follow-up vs baseline (total, P = 0.004; right lung, P = 0.003; right lower lobe; P = 0.01). In the CTEPH group, the reduction in lung volume and cardiac CSA was significantly greater than the corresponding changes in the control group (total, P = 0.01; right lung, P = 0.007; right lower lobe, P = 0.01; CSA, P = 0.0002). There was a negative correlation between lung volume change and cardiac CSA change in the control group but not in the CTEPH cohort.

CONCLUSION

After at least 6 mo of treatment, CT showed an unexpected loss of total lung volume in patients with CTEPH that may reflect continued parenchymal remodeling.

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty vs. pulmonary endarterectomy in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Although balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) are effective in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), the comparison of their efficacy and safety is still unclear. We identified studies through a systematic review of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase and used a random effects meta-analysis model to synthesize estimates of weighted mean differences or combined effect size. In total, 54 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The survival rates at perioperative/in-hospital period, 2 years, and 3 years were 100%, 99%, and 97%, respectively, in BPA group and 93%, 90%, and 88%, respectively, in PEA group. The variation of 6-min walk distance was 141.80 m in BPA and 100.73 m in PEA when the follow-up was 1-6 months. At < 1-month, 1-6-month, and > 12-month follow-up, the changed results of mean pulmonary arterial pressure were - 18.31, - 17.00, and - 12.97 mmHg in BPA group and - 18.93, - 21.21, and - 21.35 mmHg in PEA group. At < 1-month and 1-6-month follow-up, the changed values of pulmonary vascular resistance were - 542.24 and - 599.77 dyne•s•cm^-5 in PEA group and - 443.49 and - 280.00 dyne•s•cm^-5 in BPA group. In addition, there was more wide variety of complications in PEA group than in BPA group. BPA might have higher survival rate (perioperative/in-hospital period, 2-year and 3-year follow-up) and fewer types of complications compared with PEA. The improvement in exercise capacity (1-6-month follow-up) in the BPA group might be more pronounced than in PEA group. Moreover, PEA might be superior in improvement of hemodynamic parameters (< 1-month, 1-6-month, and > 12-month follow-up).

Improvements of right ventricular function and hemodynamics after balloon pulmonary angioplasty in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

PURPOSE

Right ventricular (RV) function is an important factor in the prognosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in patients. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the timing and magnitude of regional RV function before and after balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and their relation to clinical and hemodynamic parameters in patients with CTEPH.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We enrolled 20 CTEPH patients and 19 healthy subjects in our study. Enrolled patients underwent echocardiography, right heart catheterization (RHC), and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) test at baseline and after the BPA.

RESULTS

In hemodynamic RHC measurements and clinical evaluations, mean pulmonary artery pressure (median: 53.5 mm Hg vs 37.0 mm Hg, P = .001) and pulmonary vascular resistance (median: 12 Wood units [WU] vs 7 WU, P = .001) and pro-brain natriuretic peptide level decreased and 6MWD increased after BPA sessions. There was no statistically significant difference between before and after the BPA sessions in conventional echocardiographic measurements. In STE analysis, the electromechanical delay (EMD) between RV free wall (RVF) and LV lateral wall (LVL) (median: 65 ms vs 47.5 ms, P = .01) and RV peak systolic strain dispersion index (52 ms vs 29 ms, P = .001) were higher in patients with CTEPH than healthy controls before the BPA. Both these parameters decreased significantly after BPA.

CONCLUSION

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension was associated with RV electromechanical delay and dispersion based on the STE analysis. Balloon pulmonary angioplasty might have an important impact on the improvement of both RV function and hemodynamics.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension suspicion after pulmonary embolism in cancer patients

INTRODUCTION

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a severe condition which should be screened in patient with persistent dyspnea after pulmonary embolism (PE). After PE, CTEPH incidence was estimated between 0.1 and 9.1% in overall patients. Although cancer is associated with an increased risk of CTEPH, CTEPH incidence is still unknown in cancer patients with PE. We aimed to estimate the frequency CTEPH-likely patients after PE, in cancer patients.

MATERIALS

We individualized cancer patients of a monocentric prospective registry including consecutive patients with symptomatic PE. The primary outcome was the frequency of "CTEPH-likely" patients defined by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines (an accelerated tricuspid regurgitation more than 2.8m/s and at least 1-2 segmental or larger-sized defects, after more than 3 months of therapeutic anticoagulation).

RESULTS

We included 129 cancer patients with PE. Colorectal cancer (19%), breast cancer (17%) and prostate cancer (15%) were the most frequent cancers. PE occurred after surgery or medical immobilization in 17% of patients, while 26% of patients had history of venous thromboembolism. During the follow-up, 2 patients (1.5%) had a clinical suspicion of CTEPH and only 1 patient with ovarian cancer (0.75% 95%CI [0.0%-2.2%]) was classified as "CTEPH-likely", 6 months after PE.

CONCLUSION

The frequency of screening for CTEPH seems negligible in PE patients with cancer. Concomitant cancer may affect the clinical suspicion of CTEPH.