[Post-embolic chronic pulmonary heart disease: a case report]

Abstract

Echocardiography and pulmonary scintigraphy demonstrated post-embolic chronic cor pulmonale in a six-year-old woman presenting with dyspnoea. The patient's symptoms deteriorated during subsequent thromboembolic episodes, despite treatment consisting of oral anticoagulants and diuretics. After discussing the pathophysiology and diagnostic methods, the authors emphasize the limits of medical treatment of post-embolic chronic cor pulmonale and the value of two surgical treatments: thromboendarterectomy and lung transplantation. They also recall the precise selection criteria for lung transplantation.