Eisenmenger's Syndrome and Pregnancy

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 302; no. 13; pp. 751 - 752
• Main Authors: Devitt, J H, Noble, W H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 27.03.1980
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - therapeutic use; Eisenmenger Complex - drug therapy; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular - drug therapy
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM198003273021315

To the Editor: Dr. Jewett reported in the November 8 issue that "Unrelieved pulmonary hypertension leads to interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and to the development of ubiquitous abnormal shunts between arterioles and venules." As shown by Heath and Edwards, the primary pulmonary lesion of Eisenmenger's syndrome is medial and intimal thickening of the arterioles and small arteries, which eventually leads to complete obstruction, with localized proximal dilatations. 1 , 2 These changes are associated with pulmonary hypertension. As pulmonary-artery pressure reaches or surpasses systemic arterial pressure, there is reversal of the shunt through the ventricular septal defect. The primary right-to-left shunt in Eisenmenger's syndrome . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.