Balloon pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: advances in patient and lesion selection

Purpose of review Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) has been performed worldwide for patients who are ineligible for pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). However, the technical details of BPA have not been standardized, and no international consensus regarding patient and lesion selection for BPA has been reached. Evidence for the combination of BPA with PEA or medical therapy is also lacking. This review highlights recent progress in BPA in terms of patient and lesion selection and the current procedural approach for BPA, including combination treatment. Recent findings The indications for BPA have expanded with recent reports describing the improved safety and efficacy of BPA. Because lesions are generally present in all segmental and subsegmental pulmonary arteries, it is recommended to treat all the lesions to achieve desirable hemodynamic improvement. Selective pulmonary angiography is the gold standard for lesion selection in modern BPA aimed at total revascularization. Despite the lack of randomized controlled studies, combination treatment with BPA may be well tolerated and effective. Summary BPA, alone or in combination with PEA or medical therapy, may be a treatment option for patients who are not candidates for monotreatment of PEA. However, further investigation is required to standardize patient and lesion selection for BPA.