ABSTRACT
RAJAN SAGGAR, RAJEEV SAGGAR, JOHN A. BELPERIO, DAVID A. ZISMAN, JOSEPH P. LYNCH III, and JAMIL ABOULHOSN David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
I. Introduction
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can occur as either a primary or secondary process and, in general, its presence increases overall morbidity and mortality. Importantly, the majority of prior study has been in the setting of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), and as such, the following discussion will focus on IPAH. As most available diagnostic strategies lack sensitivity and specificity, the physician must maintain a high index of suspicion in considering PAH. This chapter will provide an overview of the available diagnostic studies for PAH with a particular focus on hemodynamic assessment. Novel approaches to the often-delayed diagnosis of PAH are being studied and will also be discussed.
