Imaging in the evaluation of pulmonary artery hemodynamics and right ventricular structure and function

Abstract

Among the many approaches for evaluating patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), imaging plays a crucial role. The primary role of imaging is to identify the severity of PH based on noninvasive hemodynamic assessment and to evaluate right ventricular morphology and function. The major modalities used in current clinical practice for these purposes are echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. This review discusses the merits, limitations, and clinical utility of several echocardiographic and CMR techniques used in the evaluation of PH. It also includes a brief discussion of the role of computed tomography and radionuclide imaging.