Patient Care

The Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Center

This center formalizes an interest in HHT among a number of faculty members which has existed for more than 14 years. During that time, we have treated a large number of patients with HHT and evaluated their family members; in the most recently tabulated 3-year period, we saw 256 patients with HHT. Dr. Murali Chakinala, a pulmonologist, serves as medical director, and physicians representing neurology, neurosurgery, gastroenterology, hematology, otolaryngology, interventional radiology, neuroradiology, and genetics serve as primary affiliated expert consultants. Clinician investigators at our institution developed the contrast echocardiogram as a method of screening for undiagnosed pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) and following treated PAVMs. Our center has treated more than 250 patients with PAVMs.

Pulmonary Hypertension

Dr. Murali Chakinala supervises the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic at the Jacqueline Maritz Lung Center. The clinic attracts patients from across the region and provides comprehensive care for patients with various forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Patients are offered all available medical treatments, including oral, intravenous, and subcutaneous agents as well as lung transplantation through close coordination with Lung Transplant Service at Washington University. The clinic is also involved in multi-center trials investigating the newest therapies in pulmonary vascular disease.