xrays and pulmonary hypertension

[KSM1113]

I have been having shortness of breath for a couple weeks now and just went to see a pulmonologist which he stated one of my levels were a little below average but everything else on the Pulmonary Function Test was normal.  He looked at my chest xrays and noticed that my pulmonary artery looked a little larger. I am a very small framed person.  I am a little under five feet tall and around 85 lbs.  This has been my average weight for as long as I can remember.

Anyways, my question is because I am a small framed person (according to the pulmonologist my chest wall is thin), can my pulmonary arteries show up a little bigger because of my frame? What types of diseases other than pulmonary hypertension could cause this?

Thanks

[KSM1113]

Does this mean that because I am small framed that my pulmonary artery should be small?  What are the chances that I would have Pulmonary hypertension?

[Mukesh Garg, MD]

The size of blood vessels is influenced by body frame. The best way to evaluate causes of enlarged Pulmonary artery would be to get an echocardiogram, talk to your doctor about it.