The connection between pulmonary embolism and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: research session at the American Thoracic Society 2016 Meeting

While many patients recover completely after acute pulmonary embolism (PE), some go on to develop serious cardiopulmonary disabilities (1). PE that fails to resolve can be remodeled into progressive intravascular scars that cause persistent lung perfusion defects, which some have called chronic thromboembolic disease. In severe cases, the scars progress and cause a widespread increase in pulmonary artery resistance, or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). A research session convened at the American Thoracic Society 2016 in San Francisco to explore the biological links between acute PE, persistent perfusion defects and CTEPH (“From PE to CTEPH: Fade Away Or Not?”). The provocative findings presented by several research groups suggest that several distinct mechanisms may have roles in the progression from acute thrombosis to pulmonary vascular scarring