Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is group 4 pulmonary hypertension caused by organized thrombi in the pulmonary arteries. Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is an emerging treatment option for patients with inoperable CTEPH but needs contrast media. Therefore, management can be very difficult in patients who have severe iodine allergies. We present a case of a 61-year-old female with CTEPH. Right heart catheterization showed that the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was 47 mmHg. Her organized thrombi were not surgically accessible, so we performed BPA to improve her hemodynamic status. One session of BPA was performed, but the second session was halted because of iodine-induced anaphylactic shock. Despite the administration of pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific drugs for 3 months, the patient's mPAP was still 33 mmHg. CTEPH patients with mPAP ≥30 mmHg have a poor prognosis, so we decided to perform BPA using gadolinium contrast media. A total of six sessions of gadolinium contrast BPA (Gd-BPA) improved the patient's mPAP to the normal range. Gadolinium contrast media could also be used for visualizing pulmonary arteries during BPA. Our report is the first successful case of Gd-BPA, which improved the patient's hemodynamic status to the almost normal range. Gd-BPA may be an attractive treatment option for patients with inoperable CTEPH and severe iodine allergy.
Keywords: balloon pulmonary angioplasty; chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; gadolinium contrast media; iodine allergy.
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.