Pulmonary Hypertension

Diagnosis

Diagnosing pulmonary hypertension can be difficult because it has symptoms similar to other heart and lung disorders. There are also several types of pulmonary hypertension, some of them associated with other medical conditions.

Precise diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment. Mayo Clinic has doctors who specialize in pulmonary hypertension and have experience diagnosing the disease's various types.

Mayo specialists use a number of tests to help determine the type of pulmonary hypertension and its severity:

• Blood tests can identify causes of pulmonary hypertension and measure biomarkers that help determine the disease's severity.
• Chest X-ray can show enlargement of your arteries and signs of scarring in the lungs.
• Echocardiography can assess blood pressure in the lungs as well as heart size and function.
• Lung function tests can assess oxygen exchange and movement of air through the lungs.
• Perfusion lung scan can determine if blood clots are causing symptoms of pulmonary hypertension.
• Exercise tests, including a six-minute walk and treadmill test, can assess exercise performance and exercise-related changes in blood pressure and oxygen levels.
• Hemodynamic assessment is a heart (cardiac) catheterization procedure that can measure blood pressure, blood flow and oxygen levels in your heart and major arteries. This test is routinely used to confirm diagnosis.
• Pulmonary angiography can diagnose blockages in the blood vessels leading to the lungs (pulmonary arteries). This test is available at only a few medical centers in the U.S.
• MRI can further assess the right side of the heart.
• CT angiogram can provide additional detailed images of the heart and locate blockages in the pulmonary arteries.

Read more about pulmonary hypertension diagnosis.