| Abstract: | Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by progressive involvement of the pulmonary vessels that leads to increased vascular resistance and consequently to right ventricular failure. Vascular lesions are a common factor in a wide spectrum of diseases, and their result, pulmonary hypertension, is a severe clinical condition with a poor prognosis that worsens the normal course of the diseases to which it is associated (COPD, collagen disease, sarcoidosis, and congenital or acquired heart disease). It is important for pulmonary hypertension to be diagnosed as early as possible because nowadays drugs can reduce mortality and improve the quality of life; furthermore, some types of pulmonary hypertension (e.g., chronic thromboembolism and those associated with some congenital heart diseases like left-to-right shunt) can be treated surgically. In cases of suspected pulmonary hypertension, imaging methods can confirm the diagnosis, suggest a cause, help choose the most appropriate treatment, and monitor the response to treatment. This review describes the approach to pulmonary hypertension using different imaging techniques; special emphasis is given to the role of multidetector CT (MDCT), which makes it possible to study all the organs in the thorax in a single acquisition. We review the radiological signs of pulmonary hypertension and the current (Dana Point) radiological criteria for classifying the type of hypertension based on alterations in the lung parenchyma, mediastinum, pleural spaces, and pericardium, as well as on the study of the chambers of the heart. |
