Cardiology clinics
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Considerable progress has been made over the past decade in understanding the etiology, prevalence, natural history, and therapeutic approach to chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary endarterectomy is now widely recognized as the definitive treatment for chronic pulmonary hypertension resulting from thromboembolic disease. This article focuses on the surgical treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
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During the past 2 decades, there has been a steady rise in the number of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) undergoing surgery and in the number of programs worldwide dedicated to the diagnosis and management of this patient population. This article discusses the natural history and clinical presentation of CTEPH, the evaluation of patients for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, and the outcomes following surgery, along with a brief review of the procedure as performed at the University of California, San Diego.