Right ventricular dilatation: echocardiographic differential diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Right ventricular (RV) dilatation is initially detected via transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).
• Suspected RV dilatation necessitates differentiating between volume overload, pressure overload, myocardial disease, and nonpathological causes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review diseases presenting with RV dilatation.
• To outline their characteristics and echocardiographic findings.
• To identify significant echocardiographic parameters for assessing RV status and intervention timing.

Main Methods:

• Review of diseases causing RV dilatation.
• Analysis of echocardiographic findings and functional parameters.
• Discussion of diagnostic challenges and prognostic indicators.

Main Results:

• TTE is the primary tool for detecting RV dilatation.
• Three-dimensional echocardiography aids in intervention timing for congenital heart disease.
• RV functional parameters are crucial for prognosis in pulmonary hypertension and differentiating RV cardiomyopathy.

Conclusions:

• Echocardiography plays a vital role in diagnosing and managing conditions associated with RV dilatation.
• Specific echocardiographic parameters are key to assessing disease severity and guiding treatment decisions.