What is CTEPH?
CTEPH is a type of high blood pressure in the arteries (blood vessels) of your lungs caused by blood clots that narrow or block blood flow. In most cases of CTEPH, blood clots in the blood vessels of your legs break off and travel to the lungs. Sometimes, however, blood clots or tissue growth may form in the blood vessels of the lungs. Over time, extra tissue forms over these clots and creates a blockage that can’t be removed with blood-thinner drugs alone.
Normal vs CTEPH blood vessels:
How is CTEPH diagnosed?
Some of the tests used to diagnose CTEPH are echocardiography, right heart catheterization, ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scan (measures the amount of air and blood flowing through the lungs), and computed tomography (CT) angiography (computerized imaging of the blood vessels in the heart and lungs).
Can CTEPH be treated?
CTEPH may be treated with an operation called pulmonary endarterectomy (shortened as PEA). During this very specialized operation, clots and other blockages of the pulmonary arteries are removed. CTEPH is potentially cured after the surgical procedure.
However, if you are not a candidate for PEA surgery (inoperable), or your high pulmonary blood pressure continued (persistent) or came back (recurrent) after PEA surgery, your doctor can treat your CTEPH (WHO Group 4) with Adempas. The Adempas clinical studies included mostly patients with WHO Functional Class II–III symptoms.
Don’t have CTEPH?
Learn about pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (WHO Group 1).