All issues > Volume 31(1); 1988

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1988;31(1):128-133. Published online January 31, 1988.

The Case of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the New born.

Sung Oh Kim¹, Soo Yup Lee¹, Kyoo Hwan Lee¹, Soo Jee Moon¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea

Received: July 28, 1987;

Abstract

Persistent pulmoanry hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a syndrome consisting of severe hypoxemia and pulmoanry hypertension that appears within hours of birth. The essential pathophysiologic features of this syndrome is pulmonary artery hypertension causing right-to-left shunt through the patent ductus arteriosus or foramen ovale or both and clinically manifested by central cyanosis and respiratory distress. We recently have experienced 20 hour old female and 7 hour old male babies presented with cyanosis and respiratory distress soon after birth. Each case had evidence of pulmonary artery hypertension with right-to-left shunt, by both clinical examination and echocardiography. The 20 hour old female was suggested the primary type of PPHN, contrast echocardiogram showed right-to-left shunt through the foramen ovale and finally improved to dischage without complication. The other was thought the secondary type of PPHN due to meconium aspiration syndrome and the autopsy findings were consistent with intra-acinar pulmonary arterial muscularization, probably resulting from intrauterine hypoxia. A brief review of related literatures is given.

Keywords :Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn