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Updated: Sep 29, 2025

Morphological and Functional Assessment of the Right Ventricle Using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
The right ventricular involvement in dilated cardiomyopathy: prevalence and prognostic implications of the
Paolo Manca1, Vincenzo Nuzzi1, Antonio Cannatà1,2
1Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Department, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Giuliana Isontina (ASUGI), University of Trieste, Via Valdoni 7, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
Insights
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) often involves the right ventricle (RV), leading to right ventricular dysfunction (RVD). RVD significantly worsens prognosis in DCM patients, highlighting the need for better understanding and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) primarily affects left ventricular function.
- The right ventricle (RV) has historically been overlooked in DCM evaluations.
- Recent advancements in cardiac imaging emphasize the importance of biventricular assessment in DCM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on right ventricular involvement in DCM.
- To explore the epidemiology and pathogenesis of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in DCM.
- To discuss imaging modalities for RV assessment and the impact of RV failure in advanced heart failure.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current research on RV in DCM.
- Analysis of epidemiological data concerning RVD in DCM patients.
- Discussion of diagnostic imaging techniques for RV function.
Main Results:
- Right ventricular involvement is common in DCM.
- Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is a critical negative prognostic factor in DCM.
- Genetic mutations may influence the biventricular phenotype in DCM.
Conclusions:
- RV assessment is crucial for comprehensive DCM evaluation.
- RVD significantly impacts patient outcomes in DCM.
- Further research is needed for targeted treatments for RVD in DCM.
Abstract:
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a primary heart muscle disease characterized by left or biventricular systolic impairment. Historically, most of the clinical attention has been devoted to the evaluation of left ventricular function and morphology, while right ventricle (RV) has been for many years the forgotten chamber. Recently, progresses in cardiac imaging gave clinicians precious tools for the evaluation of RV, raising the awareness of the importance of biventricular assessment in DCM. Indeed, RV involvement is far from being uncommon in DCM, and the presence of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is one of the major negative prognostic determinants in DCM patients. However, some aspects such as the possible role of specific genetic mutations in determining the biventricular phenotype in DCM, or the lack of specific treatments able to primarily counteract RVD, still need research. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on RV involvement in DCM, giving an overview on the epidemiology and pathogenetic mechanisms implicated in determining RVD. Furthermore, we discussed the imaging techniques to evaluate RV function and the role of RV failure in advanced heart failure.
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