Etiology of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Detected on Multi Detector Cardiac Computed Tomography in Patients with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of diagnosing cardiac etiology of PAH by cardiac MDCT in those patients who were labeled as primary pulmonary hypertension on echocardiography.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Computed Tomography Angiography Department, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore from May, 2019 to October 2020.

Materials and Methods: This study included 150 patients who were labeled as cases of primary PAH by echocardiography. All the patients underwent MDCT to look for any cardiovascular pathology as an etiologic factor of PAH (i.e. intracardiac shunting, valvular heart diseases, and cardiac source of thromboembolic PAH).

Results: MDCT could detect cardiac etiologies in 48(32%) patients. Intracardiac shunting was seen in 26(17.3%) patients, partial anomalous venous connection in 2(1.3%) patients, thromboembolic PAH in 18(12%) patients, valvular heart disease in 4(2.7%) patients, and no abnormality in 102(68%) patients.

Conclusion: MDCT could detect cardiac etiology in approximately one-third of patients who were labeled as PPH hypertension by echocardiography.