Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogenous disorder involving multiple pathophysiological processes that ultimately affect the vasculature within the lungs. Right heart catheterization (RHC) continues to be the benchmark for diagnosing PH. The use of provocation techniques during RHC can help sub-characterize the type of PH and thus assist in developing appropriate treatment strategies for the management of each PH subtype. This review examines proven and novel approaches for evaluating the pulmonary vasculature during RHC and aspires to provide an accurate, clinically relevant framework for using RHC to diagnose and manage PH. Further improvement in standardized protocols will help optimize the application of RHC in patients with PH.
Keywords: chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension; exercise induced pulmonary hypertension; left heart disease; provocative testing; pulmonary arterial hypertension; pulmonary hypertension; right heart catheterization; solid organ transplant listing; vasoreactivity testing.
Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s).