Percutaneous Interventional Therapy for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a form of precapillary pulmonary hypertension resulting from the incomplete resolution of pulmonary thromboemboli and formation of chronic, fibrotic, flow-limiting obstructions within the pulmonary vasculature. The progression of chronic thromboembolic disease is associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, and diminished patient function. Surgical pulmonary thromboendarterectomy to extract thromboembolic disease is curative and the primary treatment option for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. For patients who are not surgical candidates, balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is a percutaneous treatment option that uses angioplasty techniques to dilate diseased pulmonary arteries, disrupt organized flow-limiting obstructions, revascularize underperfused lung regions, improve pulmonary vascular hemodynamics, and restore patient function. BPA has undergone refinement and worldwide adoption since its inception, leading to advancements in the equipment used, technical approach, and complication management for each procedure. The approach to modern BPA, its attendant complications, and contemporary treatment outcomes are discussed in this state-of-the-art review.