• Francisco José García Hernández, María Jesús Castillo Palma, Rocío González León, Rocío Garrido Rasco, Celia Ocaña Medina, and Julio Sánchez Román.
• Unidad de Colagenosis e Hipertensión Pulmonar, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, España. fjgarciah@eresmas.com
• Arch. Bronconeumol. 2008 Dec 1; 44 (12): 689-91.

AbstractDespite advances in the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), survival has not improved greatly (is still very affected). Imatinib, an antagonist of platelet-derived growth factor with antiproliferative activity, has been effective in experimental models and clinically in several published reports. We report the results of imatinib therapy in 4 patients with PAH (functional class IV) who were refractory to treatment with drug combinations for this condition. The final outcome was favorable in only 1 of the 4 cases. In this case, the patient was in functional class III and his hemodynamic parameters had improved significantly within 5 months after starting therapy. However, the patient died as a result of severe toxic hepatitis in which imatinib may have played a role. The present report adds to the few already in the literature (4 cases) and suggests that care should continue to be shown when using imatinib to treat PAH.

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