Adult-onset idiopathic peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis

Abstract

BackgroundPeripheral pulmonary artery stenosis (PPS) refers to the stenosis of the pulmonary artery from the trunk to the peripheral arteries. Although pediatric PPS is well described, the clinical characteristics of adult-onset idiopathic PPS have not been established.ObjectivesWe characterized the disease profile of adult-onset PPS.MethodsWe collected data in Japanese centers. This cohort included patients underwent pulmonary angiography (PAG) and excluded patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or Takayasu arteritis. Patient backgrounds, right heart catheterization findings, imaging findings, and treatment profiles were collected.ResultsForty-four patients (median age: 39 years [Q1–Q3:29–57]; 29 females [65.9%]) with PPS were enrolled from 20 centers. In PAG, stenosis of segmental and peripheral pulmonary arteries was observed in 41 (93.2%) and 36 patients (81.8%), respectively. Thirty-five patients (79.5%) received medications approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH-drugs) and 22 patients (50.0%) received combination therapy. Twenty-five patients (56.8%) underwent transcatheter pulmonary angioplasty. Right heart catheterization data showed improvements in both the mean pulmonary artery pressure (44versus40 mmHg; p<0.001) and pulmonary vascular resistance (760versus514 dyn·s·cm−5; p<0.001) from baseline to the final follow-up. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of patients with PPS were 97.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]:83.5–99.6), 89.0% [95% CI:68.9–96.4), and 67.0% (95% CI:41.4–83.3), respectively.ConclusionsIn this study, the patients with adult-onset idiopathic PPS presented with segmental and peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. Although patients had severe pulmonary hypertension at baseline, they showed a favorable treatment response to the PAH-drugs combined with transcatheter pulmonary angioplasty.