[Balloon pulmonary angioplasty: An additional treatment option to improve the status of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension].

In chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), stenoses or obstructions of the pulmonary arteries due to organized thrombi can cause an elevation in pulmonary artery resistance, which in turn can result in pulmonary hypertension and progressive right heart failure. CTEPH can be cured surgically by pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA); however, patients deemed unsuitable for PEA due to distal lesion, advanced age, or comorbidities have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Recently, an alternative interventional strategy of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) reduces pulmonary artery hypertension in patients with CTEPH. Risk/benefit inbalance appear to be safe in experimented center. BPA can treat the lesions from lobar to subsegmental pulmonary arteries, improving functional and hemodynamic status for inoperable patients. This review highlights this recent progress.