Surgical Treatment of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension as the result of chronic pulmonary thromboembolic disease is a serious condition with poor long-term prognosis. The condition is one of the more common cardiovascular diseases affecting Americans, yet it is severely underdiagnosed. Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy is the definitive treatment for chronic pulmonary hyper-tension as the result of thromboembolic disease; however. it is an uncommon procedure, primarily because of lack of recognition on the part of the clinicians. Patients affected by chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) may present with a variety of debilitating cardiopulmonary symptoms. However, once diagnosed, there is no curative role for medical management, and surgery remains the only option. Palliation therapy with medical management in order to delay surgery carries the risk of prolonging the disease and irreversibly damaging unaffected pulmonary vasculature.