Serial right heart catheter assessment between balloon pulmonary angioplasty sessions identify procedural factors that influence response to treatment.

BACKGROUND: Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is delivered as a series of treatments for patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) however, there is little published data on the procedural determinants of outcome. METHODS: Pre- and post-BPA clinical and hemodynamic data, as well as serial hemodynamic and procedural data at each BPA session were evaluated to determine patient and procedure-related factors that influence hemodynamic response. RESULTS: Per procedure data from 210 procedures in 84 patients and per patient data from 182 procedures in 63 patients with completed treatment and 3-month follow-up were analyzed. A median of 3 (range 1-6) BPA procedures treating a median of 2 segments per procedure (range 1-3) were performed per patient with a median interval between procedures of 42 (range 5-491) days. Clinical outcome correlated with hemodynamic change (pulmonary vascular resistance [ΔPVR] vs Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review [CAMPHOR] symptom score: p < 0.001, Pearson's r = 0.48, n = 49). Responders to BPA had more severe disease at baseline and 37.5 % of non-responders were post-PEA. There was a dose-response relationship between per procedure and total number of segments treated and hemodynamic improvement (ΔPVR: 1 segment: -0.9%, 2: -14.5%, 3 or more: -16.1%, p < 0.001). Treating totally occluded vessels had a greater hemodynamic effect (mean pulmonary artery pressure [ΔmPAP]: sessions with occlusion: -8.0%, without occlusion treated: -3.2%, p < 0.05) without an increased complication rate. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of clinical benefit is related to the hemodynamic effect of BPA which in turn is related to the number of segments treated and lesion severity. Patients who were post-PEA were less likely to respond to BPA.