Multidetector computed tomography shows reverse cardiac remodeling after double lung transplantation for pulmonary...

To use multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to evaluate the structural changes in the right heart and pulmonary arteries that occur in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension treated by double lung transplantation.

This was a retrospective study of 21 consecutive patients diagnosed with severe pulmonary hypertension who underwent double lung transplantation at our center between 2010 and 2014. We analyzed the last MDCT study done before lung transplantation and the first MDCT study done after lung transplantation. We recorded the following variables: diameter of the pulmonary artery trunk, ratio of the diameter of the pulmonary artery trunk to the diameter of the ascending aorta, diameter of the right ventricle, ratio of the diameter of the left ventricle to the diameter of the right ventricle, and eccentricity index. Statistical analysis consisted of the comparison of the means of the variables recorded.

In all cases analyzed, the MDCT study done a mean of 24±14 days after double lung transplantation showed a significant reduction in the size of the right heart chambers, with improved indices of ventricular interdependency index, and reduction in the size of the pulmonary artery trunk (p<0.001 for all the variables analyzed).

Patients with pulmonary hypertension treated by double lung transplantation present early reverse remodeling of the changes in the structures of the right heart and pulmonary arterial tree. MDCT is useful for detecting these changes.