Assessment of Pulmonary Perfusion and Hemodynamic Measurements by Electrical Impedance Tomography in Patients Undergoing Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy.

Summary

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a condition in which old blood clots block the blood vessels in the lungs, making it harder for the heart to pump blood through the lungs. Surgery called pulmonary thromboendarterectomy can remove these clots and improve blood flow, but doctors need reliable ways to evaluate lung blood flow before and after surgery.

This study will evaluate a bedside imaging method called electrical impedance tomography (EIT), which can measure how blood flows through different regions of the lungs without radiation or invasive procedures. Patients undergoing surgery for CTEPH will be monitored with EIT before and after surgery, and the results will be compared with standard lung perfusion imaging.

The goal of this study is to determine whether EIT can provide useful information about lung blood flow and changes after surgery, and whether it could serve as a complementary bedside tool to help monitor patients with CTEPH.

Conditions

• Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy
• Pulmonary Embolism and Thrombosis

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT).

Non-invasive, radiation-free bedside assessment of pulmonary perfusion using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). EIT will be performed using the Enlight 2100 system (Timpel Medical®, Brazil) in the preoperative and postoperative periods of pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. Pulmonary perfusion will be assessed through analysis of pulsatility signals and first-pass kinetics following hypertonic saline bolus injection, generating regional perfusion maps and quantitative indices, including the wasted ventilatory index. Data will be analyzed offline.

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Pulmonary Perfusion SPECT-CT.

Pulmonary perfusion assessment performed using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium-99m-labeled macroaggregated albumin, fused with non-contrast chest computed tomography (CT) acquired during both inspiratory and expiratory phases. The fusion of functional perfusion images from SPECT with anatomical images from CT allows regional assessment of pulmonary perfusion and thromboembolic burden. This examination will be performed in the preoperative period and during postoperative follow-up and will serve as a reference imaging modality for comparison with Electrical Impedance Tomography-derived perfusion measures.

PROCEDURE

Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy.

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy performed according to standard institutional clinical practice for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. This surgical procedure is conducted solely for clinical indication and is not investigational. Imaging and monitoring assessments included in this study do not alter the surgical technique or perioperative clinical management.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-02-25

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations