RT Book, Section
A1 Freihage, Jeffrey H.
A1 Dudney, Tina M.
A1 McCormack, Michael T.
A2 Dieter, Robert S.
A2 Dieter, Raymond A.
A2 Dieter, Raymond A.
SR Print(0)
ID 1127169715
T1 Nonembolic Disorders of the Pulmonary Artery
T2 Peripheral Arterial Disease
YR 2009
FD 2009
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071481793
LK accesscardiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1127169715
RD 2024/04/16
AB The  pulmonary  artery  (PA)  functions  as  a  low  resistance  conduit  for  blood  to  travel  from  the  right  heart  to  the  systemic  circulation.  However,  to  view  the  PA  as  a  passive  conduit  is  to  underestimate  the  complex  physiologic  interactions  between  the  neurohormonal  control  of  vascular  tone,  environmental  factors  (including  infectious  agents,  toxins,  and  prolonged  hypoxia),  and  congenital  abnormalities  that  may  occur  within  the  PA.  An  understanding  of  the  normal  PA  physiology  is  of  paramount  importance  in  understanding  the  clinical  course  of  pathologic  disease  states.  Although  the  acute  PA  response  to  a  congenital  abnormality  or  an  environmental  insult  may  be  beneficial  in  the  short  term,  prolonged  response  may  lead  to  a  severely  debilitating  and  life-shortening  pathologic  condition.  Recognition  of  pathologic  conditions  within  the  PA  and  the  role  of  altered  PA  physiology  is  the  focus  of  this  chapter.