Pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy may be safe and effective in patients with systemic sclerosis and borderline pulmonary artery pressure.

OBJECTIVE: Borderline pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), characterized by a marked exercise-induced increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) with normal resting values, may precede overt PAH in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We undertook the present study to investigate whether PAH treatment is safe in these patients and might attenuate hemodynamic progression. METHODS: SSc patients with borderline PAH underwent right heart catheterization at baseline, after a 12-month observation period, and subsequently after 6 months of bosentan therapy. Changes in mean PAP at 50W during the observation period versus during therapy were compared. RESULTS: Ten patients completed the study. Mean PAP at rest, at 50W, and during maximal exercise increased significantly during the observation period (mean ± SD increases of 2.5 ± 3.0 mm Hg [P = 0.03], 4.0 ± 2.9 mm Hg [P = 0.002], and 6.8 ± 4.1 mm Hg [P = 0.0005], respectively) and tended to decrease during the treatment period (decreases of 2.5 ± 3.9 mm Hg [P = 0.07], 1.5 ± 4.5 mm Hg [P = 0.32], and 1.8 ± 7.0 mm Hg [P = 0.43], respectively). The changes during the observation period versus the therapy period were significantly different (P = 0.03 at rest, P = 0.01 at 50W [primary end point], and P = 0.02 during maximal exercise). The changes in resting pulmonary vascular resistance were also significantly different during the observation period (increase of 8 ± 25 dynes · seconds · cm(-5) ) versus during the therapy period (decrease of 45 ± 22 dynes · seconds · cm(-5) ) (P < 0.0005). Changes in resting pulmonary arterial wedge pressure were not significantly different between the observation period and the treatment period, despite the significant increase during the observation period (2.6 ± 2.5 mm Hg [P = 0.01]). No relevant adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION: In SSc patients with borderline abnormal pulmonary hemodynamics, resting and exercise PAP may increase significantly within 1 year of observation. Bosentan might be safe and effective to attenuate these changes. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm the exploratory findings of this hypothesis-generating pilot study.

Arterial blood architecture of the maxillary sinus in dentate specimens.

AIM: To describe vascular anatomy of the maxillary sinus in dentate specimens dissected from human cadavers. METHODS: Twenty dentate maxillary specimens were dissected, anatomically prepared, and injected with liquid latex for a better visualization of the maxillary sinus artery. RESULTS: We found an intraosseous anastomosis in 100% and an extraosseous anastomosis in 90% of the cases. The anterior lateral wall of the maxillary sinus was transversed by two anastomoses between the posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA) and the infraorbital artery (IOA). The PSAA was divided into a gingival and dental branch. The gingival branch anastomosed with the terminal extraosseous branch of the extraosseous anastomosis (EOA) and the dental branch with the intraosseous branch of the intraosseous anastomosis (IOA). The mean distances from the alveolar ridge to the extraosseus anastomosis were 16 mm for the second maxillary molar, 12.3 mm for the first maxillary molar, and 13.1 mm for the second maxillary premolar. The mean distances from the intraosseous anastomosis to the alveolar ridge were 17.7 mm for the second maxillary molar, 14.5 mm for the first maxillary molar, and 14.66 mm for the second maxillary premolar. CONCLUSION: These findings provide relevant data for clinical dentistry in order to avoid bleeding complications and minimize the risk of injury to the arterial network of the maxillary sinus during surgical procedures in the dentate maxilla region.

Use of ECG and Other Simple Non-Invasive Tools to Assess Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: There is a broad consensus that pulmonary hypertension (PH) is to be diagnosed by right heart catheterization (RHC) and that the most important non-invasive tool is echocardiography. However, the role of simple non-invasive tools in the work-up of PH is not clearly defined. We hypothesized that the use of simple non-invasive techniques may help to guide important decisions in the diagnostics of pulmonary hypertension. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to develop an algorithm with the use of simple, non-invasive tools in order to identify patients with very high or very low likelihood of PH. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients undergoing RHC between 2005 and 2010 in our center and performed logistic regression of simple non-invasive parameters regarding detection and exclusion of PH and derived a two-step algorithm. In a prospective study we evaluated this algorithm between 2011 and 2013. RESULTS: The retrospective cohort consisted of n = 394 patients of which 49% presented with PH. Right axis deviation in the ECG was present in 90/394 patients and had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 93% for PH. The combination of non-right axis deviation, N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)<333pg/ml, arterial oxygen saturation (SO2)≥95.5% and WHO functional class I-II was present in 69/394 patients and excluded PH with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 96%. The prospective study confirmed these results in a cohort of n = 168 patients (PPV:92%, NPV:97%). Taken together, simple non-invasive tools allowed a prediction regarding the presence or absence of PH in 42% of patients with suspected PH. CONCLUSION: ECG, NT-proBNP, SO2 and WHO functional class may predict the presence or absence of PH in almost half of the patients with suspected PH, suggesting an important role for these variables in the work-up of patients at risk for PH. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01607502.