Assessment of the role of computed tomography versus echocardiography in pulmonary hypertension

Abstract

Background The era of diagnosing pulmonary arterial hypertension is rapidly evolving. There are changes in the definition, screening, diagnostic modalities, and disease staging. Aim This study aims to assess pulmonary hypertension using computed tomography (CT) and echocardiography. Design This is a cross-sectional study. Participants and methods This study included 30 cases diagnosed with pulmonary artery hypertension according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were subjected to a careful assessment of history, a skillful clinical examination, and investigations: (a) complete blood picture, liver kidney functions, bleeding profile, and arterial blood gases. (b) Spirometry. (c) Echocardiogram. (d) CT chest. Results The correlation between the ratio of main pulmonary artery and aorta to other study parameters was statistically significant. There was a negative statistically significant correlation between the mP/Ao ratio and oxygen saturation (P=0.001); however, we found a positive significant correlation between the mP/Ao ratio and ejection fraction (P=0.006), systolic pulmonary artery pressure (P<0.0001), and mean pulmonary artery pressure (P<0.0001). In contrast, the correlation was nonsignificant when the mP/Ao ratio was compared with other parameters (P>0.05), and a nonsignificant correlation was also found between systolic pulmonary artery pressure and duration of dyspnea (P>0.05). Conclusion This study has shown that combining CT and echocardiography in the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension can be a reliable technique to measure mean pulmonary artery pressure than if any of both tests done separately.