Prevalence of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension After Acute Pulmonary Embolism : (Preva-CTEPH)

Overview

The prevalence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after pulmonary embolism (PE) varies widely (0.4% to 8.8%) in the literature. This large variation could be due to the inclusion of patients with pre-existing CTEPH revealed on the occasion of a recurrence of PE. However, the absence of hemodynamic data when diagnosing PE does not allow to distinguish these patients. A prospective multicentric study involving 146 patients showed that the majority of patients with CTEPH during follow-up had a pulmonary hypertension unknown at the time of PE diagnosis. It is necessary to confirm these results in a broader study. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cumulative incidence of CTEPH after a PE.

The patients selected in this study are patients with an objectively confirmed PE and previously included since at least 12 months in one of the studies of the INNOVTE network. Patients who are alive at the time of the selection for the PREVA-CTEPH study are contacted by phone or by mail for inclusion in the prospective interventional part of the PREVA-CTEPH study. Patients who consent to participate to this prospective interventional phase of the PREVA-CTEPH study have dyspnea assessment, EKG, and echocardiography to investigate the diagnosis of CTEPH. Patients with dyspnea (NYHA \>1) and/or a high or intermediate echocardiographic probability of pulmonary hypertension (ESC criteria) have a V/Q lung scan, a right heart catheterization and a pulmonary angiography to objectively confirm the diagnosis of CTEPH according to the current ESC guidelines. Retrospective phase: All clinical (dyspnea, signs of right ventricular insufficiency...), echocardiographic and imaging (pulmonary angiography, V/Q lung scan) relevant data after the diagnosis of index PE are retrieved from the clinical chart of each patients alive at the time of the selection for the PREVA-CTEPH study and/or with a diagnosis of CTEPH confirmed after the diagnosis of index PE and/or if the patient don't consent to participate to the prospective interventional phase. For patients died between the inclusion in one of the studies of the INNOVTE network and the time of the selection for the PREVA-CTEPH study, the date and the cause of death are recorded. The same data of the retrospective phase are retrieved. All cases of CTEPH are adjudicated by an independent committee. In this case, initial Imaging data (CT pulmonary angiography and echocardiography) performed at the time of index PE diagnosis are retrieved for searching previous sign of CTEPH.