PAH leads to RA and RV dilatation and functional deterioration which are linked to an adverse clinical outcome. 3DE measurement of RA sphericity index may be a suitable index in predicting clinical deterioration of PAH patients.

Our data demonstrates that there is no association between cabergoline treatment for hyperprolactinaemia and valvulopathy. This study therefore supports continued use of low-dose cabergoline for patients with hyperprolactinaemia.

The authors investigated the safety of oral tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), a cofactor for nitric oxide synthesis, as a novel treatment for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Eighteen patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension or inoperable chronic thromboembolic PH received sapropterin dihydrochloride (6R-BH4), the optically active form of BH4, in addition to treatment with sildenafil and/or endothelin receptor antagonists in an open-label, dose-escalation study. 6R-BH4 was administered starting at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg and increasing to 20 mg/kg over 8 weeks. Changes in markers of nitric oxide synthesis, inflammation and oxidant stress, as well as exercise capacity and cardiac function were measured. 6R-BH4 was well tolerated at all doses without systemic hypotension, even when given in combination with sildenafil. There was a small but significant reduction in plasma monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 levels on 5 mg/kg. No significant changes in measures of nitric oxide synthesis or oxidant stress were observed. There was improvement in 6-minute walk distance, most significant at a dose of 5 mg/kg, from 379 ± 61 to 413 ± 57 m 414 ± 57 m (P = .002). Oral 6R-BH4 can be administered safely in doses up to 20 mg/kg daily to patients with PH. Further studies are needed to explore its therapeutic potential.

SummaryRaised tricuspid regurgitant velocity (TRV) occurs in approximately 30% of adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), and has been shown to be an independent risk factor for death. TRV was assessed in 164 SCD patients who were subsequently followed up for survival. Raised pulmonary pressures were defined as a TRV jet ! 2Á5 m/s on echocardiography. Elevated TRV was present in 29Á1% of patients and it was associated with increased age and left atrial diameter. There were 15 deaths (9Á1%) over a median of 68Á1 months follow up; seven patients had increased TRV, and eight patients had a TRV<2Á5 m/s. Higher TRV values were associated with a greater than 4-fold increased risk of death (Hazard Ratio: 4Á48, 99% confidence interval 1Á01-19Á8), although we found a lower overall mortality rate than has been reported in previous studies. TRV was not an independent risk factor for death. We have confirmed the association between raised TRV and mortality in a UK SCD population whose disease severity appears to be less than that reported in previous studies. Further prospective studies are needed to more clearly characterize which patient factors modify survival in SCD patients with raised TRV.

The determination of IVRT by DTI is a simple and reproducible method that correlates well with PASP. It is, therefore, a parameter to consider in the echocardiographic assessment of patients with PH, and may be particularly important when the tricuspid Doppler signal is poor.

This study demonstrated a moderate agreement between two methods of measuring MPI. A good correlation of tMPI with RV ejection fraction and RV fractional area change was found indicating that tMPI might be superior to MPI Doppler. tMPI is a parameter unaffected by RV geometry and importantly has the advantage of simultaneously recording the time intervals from the same cardiac cycle.

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