A 26 year old woman with primary pulmonary hypertension received oral phenoxybenzamine, 15-30 mg daily, over a year without serious side effects. The patient was discharged after phenoxybenzamine therapy for 6 months, because her subjective complaints improved gradually with reduction of the Cardiac Thoracic Ration of chest X-ray films from 60% to 54% . However, she was readmitted for right heart failure precipitated by a common cold. It is suggested that oral phenoxybenzamine for primary pulmonary hypertension is effective in alleviating subjective complaints, but the effects may only be temporary.
primary pulmonary hypertension
phenoxybenzamine
yearlong administration
tolazoline