Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty in Chronic Pulmonary Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare disease, caused by obstruction and incomplete resolution of thrombus and further remodeling of the pulmonary artery. The treatment of CTEPH depends on the location of the obstruction and its surgical accessibility.1 In operable CTEPH, pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) remains the treatment of choice.1 In the authors’ experience, PEA may be conducted safely with a relatively low risk, and patients who undergo successful PEA have a significant improvement in their clinical status and hemodynamic data.