The diagnosis of bilateral stenosis of the primary pulmonary artery branches based on characteristic pulmonary trunk pressure curves. A hemodynamic and angiocardiographic study.

IN 1938 Oppenheimer1 reported the first case of bilateral stenosis of the pulmonary main arteries diagnosed at autopsy. Since then several papers have been published describing clinical, cardiac catheterization, and angiocardiographic findings in both unilateral and bilateral stenosis of the pulmonary arteries.2-12 We are reporting cardiac catheterization and angiocardiographic findings in 12 patients with bilateral stenosis of the primary pulmonary artery branches. In all 12 patients characteristic pressure curves were consistently obtained from the pulmonary trunk that were reproduced experimentally in dogs. The hemodynamic explanation and the diagnostic value of these typical pressure curves are discussed. Material and Method Of 1,650 eardiac catheterizations performed in the Department of Pediatric Cardiophysiology of the Cook County Children's Hospital during the last 11 years, 60 patients were found to have stenosis of the primary pulmonary artery branches, 32 of whom had unilateral stenosis and 28 bilateral stenosis. The hemodynamie and angiocardiographic findings in 12 patients with bilateral stenosis, in