Pulmonary hypertension: pathology

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening and often fatal disease, characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and secondary right ventricular failure. Since etiologies of PH are multiple and its pathogenesis is complex, histology from lungs of patients with PH may help us to determine different etiological factors of the disease. The degree of involvement of various cell types and structures within the lung tissue represents an important indicator of the pathophysiologal process. So even if the role for pathologists in routine management of PH is limited, lessons can be learned from morphology. The present chapter outlines the current understanding of this disease from the pathologist's point of view.