Pulmonary Artery Denervation for Refractory Sjögren's Syndrome-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Case Report of Combined Hemodynamic and Renal Recovery
Abstract
A 31-year-old woman with primary Sjögren's syndrome presented with severe pre-capillary pulmonary arterial hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressure 51 mmHg, pulmonary vascular resistance 14.7 Wood units) and active renal impairment (24-hour urinary protein 1290 mg). Despite initial immunosuppressive therapy and dual oral PAH-targeted treatment with ambrisentan and tadalafil, she remained at high risk. She subsequently underwent pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) using a 45-mm ablation catheter with 120-second radiofrequency applications at three sites on the main pulmonary artery. At 2-month follow-up, she demonstrated significant symptomatic improvement to WHO functional class I, with a 6-minute walk distance of 320 meters, improved hemodynamics (mean pulmonary arterial pressure 35 mmHg, pulmonary vascular resistance 5.63 Wood units), and a reduced NT-proBNP level of 320 pg/mL, achieving an intermediate-low risk status according to the 2022 ESC/ERS guidelines. Renal function also improved (24-hour urinary protein 158 mg). This case suggests that PADN may be an effective adjunctive interventional strategy for refractory autoimmune PAH, even with concurrent renal involvement, facilitating simultaneous cardiopulmonary and renal recovery.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Protective effects of tadalafil and N-acetyl cysteine therapy on cisplatin-induced testicular toxicity
- The Use of Generative AI for Scientific Literature Searches for Systematic Reviews: ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing AI Performance Evaluation
- Sildenafil as a Candidate Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease: Real-World Patient Data Observation and Mechanistic Observations from Patient-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons
- Ozone-modified properties of pumpkin seed oil as anti-H. pylori, anticancer, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity agent
- Effectiveness of Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Erectile Dysfunction: An Analysis of Sexual Function and Penile Hardness at Erection: An Umbrella Review
- Molecular Docking of Silymarin as a Ligand for Aromatase Enzyme and HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Using Molegro Virtual Docker
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.