Purpose of review: Accurate noninvasive evaluation of right heart hemodynamics is an essential component of the comprehensive cardiac examination. We aim to highlight recent advances in echocardiography allowing integration of measurements to obtain diagnostic accuracy.
Recent findings: Reports have advocated different imaging methods to describe right ventricular function and pulmonary artery pressure. Recent review articles provide comprehensive resources for the physician or technologist, and other articles compare echocardiography techniques, including strain imaging and three-dimensional echocardiography. We discuss the descriptions of the accuracy of Doppler echocardiography in comparison with cardiac catheterization.
Summary: Several measurements should be taken together for an accurate interpretation of right heart hemodynamics. We advocate the measurement of the tricuspid regurgitation gradient, pulmonary regurgitation gradient, pulmonary artery stroke distance (velocity time integral; VTI), evaluation of right ventricular function, and right atrial pressure.