• The tendons of children exhibit the same fibrillar structure as adults • Tendon thickness at enthesis insertion in children is not influenced by gender • Cartilage thickness in children decreases with advancing age and varies with gender.
Background
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a life‐threatening complication of a pulmonary embolism (PE) whose incidence and predictors are not precisely determined.
Objective
To determine the frequency and predictors for CTEPH after a first unprovoked PE.
Patients/Methods
In a randomized trial comparing an additional 18‐month warfarin versus placebo in patients after a first unprovoked PE initially treated with vitamin K antagonist for 6 months, we applied recommended CTEPH screening strategies through an 8‐year follow‐up to determine cumulative incidence of CTEPH. CTEPH predictors were estimated using Cox models. Pulmonary vascular obstruction (PVO) and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) at PE diagnosis and 6 months were studied by receiver operating curves analysis. All CTEPH cases and whether they were incident or prevalent were adjudicated.
Results
During a median follow‐up of 8.7 years, nine CTEPH cases were diagnosed among 371 patients, with a cumulative incidence of 2.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95–4.64), and of 1.31% (95% CI 0.01–2.60) after exclusion of five cases adjudicated as prevalent. At PE diagnosis, PVO > 45% and sPAP > 56 mmHg were associated with CTEPH with a hazard ratio (HR) of 33.00 (95% CI 1.64–667.00, p = .02) and 12.50 (95% CI 2.10–74.80, p < .01), respectively. Age > 65 years, lupus anticoagulant antibodies and non‐O blood groups were also predictive of CTEPH. PVO > 14% and sPAP > 34 mmHg at 6 months were associated with CTEPH (HR 63.90 [95% CI 3.11–1310.00, p < .01]and HR 17.2 [95% CI 2.75–108, p < .01]).
Conclusion
After a first unprovoked PE, CTEPH cumulative incidence was 2.8% during an 8‐year follow‐up. PVO and sPAP at PE diagnosis and at 6 months were the main predictors for CTEPH diagnosis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.