[Function of the right heart based on 2-dimensional contrast echocardiography data in primary pulmonary hypertension...

The authors provide the results obtained during studies of the function of the right atrium and right ventricle in 15 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and 28 patients with dilated (congestive) cardiomyopathy (DCMP). The studies were based on comparison of the sectional areas during systole and diastole measured by means of two-dimensional contrast echocardiography. Ultrasonic location was performed from the apical position in the four-chamber cross section projection. A study was also made of the effect of the development of relative insufficiency of the tricuspid valve and atrial fibrillation on the function of the right heart. In both the diseases, there was a decrease in the parameters which mirror the function of both right atrium and right ventricle. However, in patients with DCMP, that decrease was coupled with a relatively greater reduction in the function of the right atrium than in patients with PPH. It is possible that such a functional interrelationship between the right atrium and right ventricle presents one of the mechanisms of compensation in the development of circulatory failure in patients with PPH and DCMP.