Haemodynamics in patients with chronic post-embolic pulmonary hypertension

Haemodynamic studies were undertaken in 30 patients with chronic post-embolic pulmonary hypertension (CPEPH), and the findings were compared with those found in acute thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery. The study showed that radiocardiographic examination is a useful supplementary method for diagnosing postembolic lesions of pulmonary arteries and for dynamic examination of patients after pulmonary embolism. The appearance of a "single-hump" curve on the radiocardiogram was an unfavourable prognostic sign and attested both to an increase of pulmonary hypertension or to a latent heart failure. The importance of radiocardiographic examination for determining the prognosis of the disease and for choosing the most suitable method of its treatment is analysed.