Features seen on CT-pulmonary angiography in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and its major subgroups
| CT parameters | PAH (n=292) | IPAH (n=74) | PAH-SSc (n=95) | PAH-CTD-non-SSc (n=39) | PAH-portal (n=14) | PAH-CHD (n=63) | PAH-CHD- Eisenmenger (n=31) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vascular changes | |||||||
| PA to Ao ratio∼ | 1.16 (0.21) | 1.19 (0.18)* | 1.04 (0.16)* | 1.07 (1.16)* | 1.08 (0.17)* | 1.26 (0.40)†‡§*¶ | 1.46 (0.45) |
| IVC size (mm2)∼ | 596 (207) | 583 (200) | 570 (203) | 546 (206) | 632 (156) | 647 (209) | 659 (212) |
| TR present | 73 | 80 | 67 | 62 | 57 | 85 | 93 |
| Grade 1 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 36 | 14 | 16 |
| Grade 2 | 21 | 24 | 23 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 23 |
| Grade 3 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 22 |
| Grade 4 | 22 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 32 |
| Calcification in PA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
| Thrombus in PA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Cardiac changes | |||||||
| RV to LV ratio | 1.25 (0.42) | 1.39 (0.46) | 1.19 (0.48) | 1.19 (0.36) | 1.25 (0.35) | 1.15 (0.30) | 1.23 (0.38) |
| RVH (mm) | 6 (2.7) | 6 (2.3)‡ | 4 (1.78)*¶ | 4 (3.21)* | 6 (1.89) | 7 (4.26)§‡ | 8 (2.5) |
| RA size (mm) | 55 (12.1) | 57 (10.9) | 53 (12.5)* | 52 (13.1)* | 56 (17.2) | 59 (13.4)§‡ | 59 (14.6) |
| RA size | |||||||
| Moderate | 28 | 35 | 20 | 26 | 36 | 35 | 42 |
| Severe | 20 | 24 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 22 |
| IV septum | |||||||
| Flattened | 31 | 42 | 24 | 26 | 43 | 30 | 29 |
| Deviated | 27 | 34 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 33 | 29 |
| Pericardial effusion | |||||||
| Present | 38 | 38 | 36 | 53 | 42 | 48 | 30 |
| Depth (mm)∼ | 12 (5) | 8 (7) | 14 (6) | 13 (6) | 14 (5) | 13 (4) | 11 (4) |
| Lung and mediastinal changes | |||||||
| GGO present | 41 | 42 | 36 | 24 | 21 | 60 | 58 |
| Central pattern** | 21 | 10 | 51 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Centrilobular pattern** | 55 | 48 | 61 | 60 | 67 | 53 | 56 |
| Collaterals vessel | 11 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 35 | 55 |
| Lymphadenopathy | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Pleural effusion | 11 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 5 | 3 |
| Septal lines | 21 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 21 | 18 | 23 |
| Ascites | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Oesophageal dilatation | 23 | 7 | 46 | 36 | 7 | 6 | 10 |
Frequency is expressed as a percentage; for absolute values, data are expressed as mean (SD).
*p<0.05 in comparison with PAH-CHD.
†p<0.05 in comparison with PAH-portal.
‡p<0.05 in comparison with PAH-SSc.
§p<0.05 in comparison with PAH-CTD-non-SSc.
¶p<0.05 in comparison with IPAH.
**Represents percentage of the patients with GGO present.
Ao, aorta; CHD, congential heart disease; CTD, connective tissue disease; GGO, ground glass opacification; IPAH, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension; IV, interventricular; IVC, inferior vena cava; LV, left ventricle; PA, pulmonary artery; PAH, pulmonary arterial hypertension; RA, right atrium; RV, right ventricle; RVH, right ventricular hypertrophy; TR, tricuspid regurgitation; SSc-systemic sclerosis.