The study indicates that respiratory and physical exercise may improve pulmonary perfusion in patients with PH. Measurement of MR parameters of pulmonary perfusion might be an interesting new method to assess therapy effects in PH. The results of this initial study should be confirmed in a larger study group.

This study shows that hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is inhomogeneous in hypoxia in humans, particularly in HAPE-S individuals where it is accompanied by a greater increase in pulmonary artery pressure compared with control subjects. These findings support the hypothesis of exaggerated and uneven hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in HAPE-S individuals.