J Cardiovasc Ultrasound.  2011 Sep;19(3):115-125. 10.4250/jcu.2011.19.3.115.

Assessment of Right Ventricular Structure and Function in Pulmonary Hypertension

• Grapsa J
• Dawson D
• Nihoyannopoulos P

• KMID: 1980364
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4250/jcu.2011.19.3.115

Abstract

Right ventricular function plays an important role in determining cardiac symptoms and exercise capacity in chronic heart failure. It is known that right ventricle has complex anatomy and physiology. The purpose of this review paper is to demonstrate the best assessment of the right ventricle with current echocardiography. Echocardiography can assess sufficiently right ventricular structure and function and also suggest prognosis in pulmonary hypertension patients, especially with the use of modern imaging techniques. Finally, the new imaging modality of real time three dimensional echocardiography is interchangeable to cardiac magnetic resonance in reproducibility and accuracy.

Keyword

Right ventricle; Echocardiography; Cardiac magnetic resonance

MeSH Terms

Echocardiography
Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional
Heart Failure
Heart Ventricles
Humans
Hypertension, Pulmonary
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Prognosis
Ventricular Function, Right

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 A: Apical four-chamber view. Normal right-sided chambers: the right ventricle is less than one third of the size of the left ventricle. B: Apical four-chamber view. Pulmonary hypertension dilatation and hypertrophy of the right ventricle.

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  Fig. 2 Examples of the effects of pressure-loading (A) and volume-loading (B) of the right ventricle on the eccentricity index of the left ventricle.

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  Fig. 3 Myocardial performance index. A: Tricuspid inflow from valve opening to closure (TVC-O) is the sum of isovolumic contraction time (IVCT), ejection time (ET) and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT). The ejection time - as measured from the short axis RV outflow tract view - is subtracted from TVC-O and the result is divided by ET to give MPI. B: Measurement of MPI using tissue Doppler imaging.

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  Fig. 4 Calculation of right ventricle volumes and ejection fraction with 3D echocardiography.

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  Fig. 5 Right ventricle speckle tracking.

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