الفهرس 
Pulmonary Vascular AnatomyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Pulmonary hypertension is defined as mean
pulmonary artery pressure greater than 25 mm Hg during
rest (normal level 10 mm Hg) or greater than 30 mm Hg
during exercise (normal level 15 mm Hg) as determined
with right heart catheterization (Frazier et al., 2000).
Right-heart catheterization is currently the gold
standard method used to measure PH and to grade its
severity. Cardiac catheterization, like any invasive
procedure, is associated with important risks and
complications, such as bleeding, infection, arrhythmias, or
cerebrovascular events (Grubstein et al., 2008).
Echocardiography is a key screening method in the
diagnostic algorithm because it has special advantages over
invasive procedures. It is safe, portable and repeatable.
Therefore, echocardiography is more practical for
evaluation of PAH at the beginning of the disease and
during the follow up (Ginghina et al., 2009).
Computed tomography is commonly performed in
patients suspected of having PH or in patients with an
underlying diffuse lung disease who may be at risk for PH.
In addition, the structure of the pulmonary vasculature at
CT has been extensively studied as marker of increased
MPAP. In this regard, most investigators have concentrated on dilation of the main pulmonary artery (both in absolute
terms and in relation to the size of the ascending aorta) at
axial CT as a sign of PH (Devaraj et al., 2008).
Multi-detector CT angiography is now the first line
of investigation in the diagnosis of most of pulmonary
vascular disorders, it is a relatively available minimally
invasive investigation that can now be considered as the
first line of investigation in diagnosis of pulmonary
embolism with its ability to detect small emboli down to
the segmental and sub segmental and it is of value in
patients with PH as it show different signs of PH as well as
the possible cause (Addis et al., 2001).
Aim of the Work
Because right-sided heart catheterization is an
invasive test and this method is not available in the
majority of medical centers in our country and also
considering its very high cost, there is a need for accurate
noninvasive markers that can be appropriately used to
diagnose and evaluate PH secondary to respiratory
disorders. The present study aimed to evaluate correlation
between pulmonary artery pressures measured by Doppler
echocardiography and pulmonary arteries` diameters
measured by CT angiography in patients with pulmonary
hypertension secondary to respiratory disorders, also to
evaluate CT pulmonary angiography criteria of pulmonary
hypertension secondary to respiratory disorders.