Pulmonary hypertension in pediatrics: from clinical suspicion to management
摘要
Pediatric pulmonary hypertension differs from adult pulmonary hypertension in many ways, including multifactorial etiologies and comorbidities that can impact diagnosis, response to therapy, and outcome. The main etiologies of pediatric PH are idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), PAH associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CDH) and developmental lung disorders. Thorough diagnostic evaluation is necessary to properly classify pulmonary hypertension, find a potential treatable cause, and guide therapy. Diagnosis still relies on invasive hemodynamics that require sedation in most children. Management of pediatric pulmonary hypertension is mainly guided by small-scale studies, expert opinion, and extrapolation of adult data considering the paucity of trials in this population. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date summary of current knowledge on pediatric pulmonary hypertension, covering diagnosis to management, and to highlight the key takeaways from the pediatric task force of the 7th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension, particularly regarding classification modifications, risk stratification, and management.