[Infarction of the right ventricle. Contribution of two-dimensional echocardiography]

This study, based on 39 cases, confirms the value of two-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of right ventricular infarction during the acute phase. This diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of abnormalities of the segmental kinetics always present in the inferior wall and less frequently in the anterior wall. The inferior part of the septum is affected in two thirds of cases. Right ventricular dilation is frequently observed, but is not constant. Two-dimensional echocardiography has a diagnostic sensitivity similar to that of isotope ventriculography, but greater than that of haemodynamic investigations. Finally, apart from the easy demonstration of complications (tricuspid incompetence, septal rupture, intracardiac thrombosis), two dimensional echocardiography can be used to evaluate right ventricular function.