J Cardiovasc Ultrasound.  2014 Jun;22(2):95-97. 10.4250/jcu.2014.22.2.95.

Efficacy of Inhaled Iloprost in Cor Pulmonale and Severe Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Tuberculous Destroyed Lung

• Park YM
• Chung WJ
• Lee SP
• Choi DY
• Baek HJ
• Jung SH
• Choi IS
• Shin EK

• KMID: 2177470
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4250/jcu.2014.22.2.95

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the causes of cor pulmonale. Cor pulmonale patients with pulmonary hypertension have a significant lower survival rate than patients without. However, there is no conclusive treatment options in cor pulmonale and pulmonary hypertension associated with COPD until now. We report a patient with cor pulmonale and pulmonary hypertension associated with severe form of COPD and tuberculous destroyed lung who achieved marked clinical, functional and echocardiographic hemodynamic improvements with inhaled iloprost for six months.

Keyword

Cor pulmonale; Pulmonary hypertension; Tuberculous destroyed lung; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Iloprost

MeSH Terms

Echocardiography
Hemodynamics
Humans
Hypertension, Pulmonary*
Iloprost*
Lung*
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Heart Disease*
Survival Rate
Iloprost

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Chest radiography (A) and a computed tomography (B) reveals severely reduced volume of left lung due to tuberculous destroyed lung and bronchiectatic, emphysematous changes of both lungs.

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  Fig. 2 Initial (left panels) and follow-up echocardiogram (right panels) after receiving iloprost shows improvements in echocardiographic hemodynamic variable. A: Massive right ventricular and right atrial enlargement (left) and decreased right ventricular and right atrial dimensions (right). B: Flattened interventricular septum (arrowheads) and D-shaped left ventricle (left) and slightly improved septal flattening and D-shaped left ventricle (right). C: Grade III of tricuspid regurgitation (left) and trivial tricuspid regurgitation (right). LV: left ventricle, RA: right atrium, RV: right ventricle.

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