BACKGROUND: Improved hemodynamics are typically observed after BPA in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Our aim was to retrospectively compare patients who had a good hemodynamic response after BPA with those who did not.

METHODS: Consecutive non-operable CTEPH patients who underwent BPA between November 2015 to November 2020 were included in our analysis. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) below three WU was considered a good hemodynamic response after BPA. Baseline characteristics of patients who achieved this PVR threshold were compared with patients who did not achieve this threshold.

RESULTS: During the inclusion period, 105 CTEPH patients followed in our center were deemed inoperable and underwent BPA. Of these, 72 (68%) achieved a good hemodynamic result after BPA; comparisons between the two groups are shown in table. The only differences observed were the diagnosis period and the number of dilated pulmonary segments with no significant difference in the number of BPA-related complications per patient.

CONCLUSIONS: The functional and hemodynamic evaluations before BPA were no different between studied groups. Further studies are needed to confirm that the number of dilated pulmonary segments can predict a good hemodynamic outcome.