Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is a surgical procedure to remove old blood clots from pulmonary arteries in the lungs. In some cases, PEA leads to residual pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a progressive, fatal condition. Pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) could be effective in treating CTEPH after PEA in patients. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PADN in patients with residual CTEPH after PEA.
This study included a total of 50 patients with residual CTEPH who had undergone PEA within at least 6 months. The participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the PADN group (n=25) or the MED group (a sham procedure [n=25]). The primary outcome of the study was pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at 12 months after randomization.
At 12 months of follow-up, the mean PVR reduction was almost two-fold more in the PADN group than in the MED group (258 vs. 135). A 6-minute walk-test was also conducted, in which the distance in the PADN was significantly higher compared to the distance in the MED group (470 vs. 117 m).
The findings concluded that PADN resulted in a significant reduction of PVR at 12 months of follow-up in patients with residual CTEPH after PEA.
Ref: https://www.onlinejacc.org/content/76/8/916
