I have CTEPH (chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension) and
have been told I may benefit from a pulmonary
thromboendarterectomy. What is this? A pulmonary
thromboendarterectomy (also referred to as PTE, or pulmonary
endarterectomy, PEA) is a surgical procedure that removes
chronic blood clots from the arteries in the lung. It is a
highly specialized surgery that was developed at the University
of California, San Diego and is now performed in select
hospitals in the United States and other parts of the world.
Chronic blood clots can cause partial or complete blockage of
arteries resulting in high blood pressure in the lungs, known as
chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Patients
may develop CTEPH even without a history of blood clots or
pulmonary embolism. These chronic blood clots form scars that
adhere to the walls of the arteries. They cannot be dissolved
with “clot busters” or suctioned out; they can only be removed
surgically. Removing the blood clots through PTE surgery can
potenti