Table 2.
Capillaroscopic abnormalities in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
| IPAH | CTEPH | Healthy controls | P-value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 14 | 14 | 30 | |
| Avascular areas (n/mm) | 0.75 ± 0.26+ | 0.67 ± 0.42# | 0.15 ± 0.2+# | < 0.001 |
| Avascular areas, n (%) | 13 (92.8) | 12 (85.7) | 8 (26.6) | < 0.001 |
| Capillary width (μm) | 35.1 ± 5.1+ | 39.2 ± 4.6# | 29.5 ± 4.3+# | < 0.001 |
| Arterial limb (μm) | 10.2 ± 2.2+ | 10.3 ± 1.5# | 7.4 ± 1.3+# | < 0.001 |
| Venous limb (μm) | 12.4 ± 2.4+ | 12.6 ± 2.4# | 8.8 ± 1.4+# | < 0.001 |
| Irregularly enlarged (loops/mm) | 1.4 ± 1.2+ | 1.2 ± 0.7# | 0.4 ± 0.5+# | < 0.001 |
| Capillary length (μm) | 323.8 ± 84.9 | 315.2 ± 107.7 | 313.2 ± 83.9 | 0.99 |
| Edema, n (%) | 3 (21.4) | 0 | 0 | – |
| Microhemorrhages (n/mm) | 0.25 (0.25) | 0.12 (0.4) | 0 (0) | < 0.001 |
| Microhemorrhages, n (%) | 8 (57.1) | 5 (35.7) | 0 | < 0.001 |
| Thrombosis (n/mm) | 2.2 ± 0.8$ | 3.2 ± 1.3$# | 1.4 ± 0.8# | < 0.001 |
| Disorganized capillaries (loops/mm) | 0.5 ± 0.4 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.2 ± 0.4 | 0.079 |
| Shape abnormalities (loops/mm) | 1.8 ± 1.0$ | 3.1 ± 1.2$# | 1.1 ± 0.8# | < 0.001 |
| Ramified capillaries (loops/mm) | 0.5 ± 0.4+ | 0.7 ± 0.3# | 0.2 ± 0.2+# | < 0.001 |
Categorical variables are presented as frequency and percentage, n (%)
Continuous variables are presented as mean value ± standard deviation or median value and interquartile range
IPAH idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, CTEPH chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
*A p-value < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Comparisons were made among the three groups
+Statistical significance between IPAH and controls. P-value < 0.01
#Statistical significance between CTEPH and controls. P-value < 0.01
$Statistical significance between CTEPH and IPAH. P-value < 0.01