Assessment of Pulmonary Hyper-tension by Cardiac MRI and Right Sided Heart Catheter in COPD pa-tients

Abstract

COPD is a common preventable and treatable disease, is characterized by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive and associated with an enhanced chronic inflammatory response in the airway and lung to noxious particles or gases Worldwide, the most commonly encountered risk factor for COPD is tobacco smoking. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disorder characterized by abnormally elevated blood pressure of the pulmonary circulation that results, over time, from extensive vascular remodeling and increased pulmonary vascular resistance The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) depends on the severity of the disease and the definition of PH. Several studies in patients with the previous GOLD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) stage IV showed that up to 90% of these patients have a mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) of>20mmHg,with most ranging between 20 and 35 mmHg and w3% to 5% patients with mPAP>35 to 40 mmHg.

Right heart catheterization is the most powerful maneuv