[Incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension].

Introduction And Objectives: To assess the incidence of long-term symptomatic and asymptomatic chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in a cohort of patients with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE), and the potential risk factors for its diagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, long-term, follow-up study in 110 consecutive patients with an acute episode of pulmonary embolism (PE). All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) two years after the diagnosis of PE was made.

[Risk factors in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension].

Although preoccupation with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) among the scientific community is constantly increasing, the pathogenesis of this disease has not been completely elucidated and factors predisposing to its development are not precisely known. Some patients may be genetically conditioned to develop CTEPH, but only a few fibrinogen mutations and an increase in the frequency of polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigens have been described. Hereditary coagulation defects are no more prevalent in patients with CTEPH than in controls, except for factor VIII and antiphospholipid antibodies.

[Thromboembolic events in patients after a negative computed tomography pulmonary angiogram: A retrospective study of 165 patients].

Objective: To determine the value of computed tomography (CT) angiography of the chest as a diagnostic test to exclude pulmonary embolism and to assess compliance with diagnostic protocols for thromboembolic disease.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively studied patients who underwent CT angiography of the chest because of suspected pulmonary embolism in 2004. All the patients were followed for 3 months.

[Asthmatic characteristics in smokers with advanced emphysema].

Objectives: Most pneumologists assume that chronic asthma and emphysema associated with smoking differ both in their etiology and type of inflammation. However, it is difficult to study subjects who have both diseases simultaneously. We designed a prospective study to determine whether or not some advanced emphysema patients who are smokers have an asthmatic profile suggesting the two diseases overlap.

Atypical locations of pulmonary tuberculosis and the influence of the roentgenographic patterns and sample type in its diagnosis.

In 97 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), we analyzed the incidence of atypical roentgenographic locations, roentgenographic patterns, the correlation between the diagnostic yield and the roentgenographic pattern and the usefulness of simple or induced sputum (82 cases), bronchoaspirate (BAS; 29 cases), postfiberoptic bronchoscopy sputum (PFBS; 16 cases) and how the different tests supplemented each other. Atypical locations were defined as those not corresponding to classic primary and postprimary PTB. This atypical-location PTB index was 8.