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Ann Thorac Surg 2002;74:634
© 2002 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Chronic pulmonary thromboendarterectomy

^a 931 S. Las Lomas Circle, Green Valley, AZ 85614 USA

e-mail: jmcclenath{at}aol.com

To the Editor

The excellent series of successful pulmonary endarterectomies reported by Dr Thistlethwaite and colleagues from the University of California at San Diego is truly inspiring [1]. Of special note is their success rate for concomitant coronary and valvular abnormalities.

Doctor Chitwood’s discussion of this report [1] may be in error stating "Dr Sabiston and our colleagues at Duke performed the first pulmonary embolectomy for chronic emboli in 1970. There, the surgical pathophysiology of this complex disease was first studied and defined."

In 1963, in the American Journal of Medicine [2], we reported a successful pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thrombotic obstruction performed in 1961 at the Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. The pathophysiology and diagnostic studies were carefully defined, including ventilation-perfusion ratios, right heart and pulmonary artery pressures, A-a gradients, blood gas analyses, and cineangiographic data, a review of the literature was included. Six-week and 6-month follow-up studies were included in this report. Parenthetically, I received personal communication from the patient (K.E.) in 1988, a 27-year follow-up reporting continued good health.

Although Jamieson and associates [3] credited Allison and associates [4] with the first successful operation for "chronic embolization," only 27 days elapsed from initial symptoms to surgical intervention in their case. Symptoms in the case we reported progressed over a 10-month period.

References

1. Thistlethwaite P.A., Auger W.R., Madani M.M., Pradhan B.S., Kapelanski D.P., Jamieson S.W. Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy combined with other cardiac operations: indications, surgical approach, and outcome. Ann Thorac Surg 2001;72:13-19.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Houck V.N., McClenathan J.E., Hufnagel C.A., Moser K.M. Chronic thrombotic obstruction of major pulmonary arteries. Am J Med 1963;35:269-292.[Medline]
3. Jamieson S.W., Auger W.R., Fedullo P.F., Channick R.N., Kriett J.M., Tarazi R.Y., Moser K.M. Experience and results with 150 pulmonary thromboendarterectomy operations over a 29-month period. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1993;106:116-127.[Abstract]
4. Allison P.R., Dunnill M.S., Marshall R. Pulmonary embolism. Thorax 1960;15:273-283.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): James E. McClenathan Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McClenathan, J. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McClenathan, J. E. Related Collections Cardiac - other