Pathophysiology, screening and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia - A review of the literature

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common complication of extreme prematurity, which has increased over the last 20 years. BPD is associated with increased morbidities and mortality. It has been increasingly recognized that BPD affects overall lung development including the pulmonary vasculature. More recent studies have demonstrated an increased awareness of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) in BPD patients and recent international guidelines have advocated for better screening. This review will describe the current understanding of the pathophysiology of PH in infants with BPD, the in-depth assessment of the available literature linking PH and BPD, and propose an approach of screening and diagnosis of PH in infants with BPD.

Keywords: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Chronic neonatal lung disease; Echocardiography; Prematurity; Pulmonary hypertension; Pulmonary vascular disease; Screening.