[Evaluation of the right ventricular function for lung transplantation. Value of the electron beam scanner]

Several invasive or not invasive technics were used to evaluate right ventricular insufficiency associated to severe chronic pulmonary insufficiency. But none of them were very accurate and now the use of EBT appears as a real improvement. We performed a prospective study with 50 patients waiting for a lung transplantation and we compared the values of right ventricular function obtained by EBT to those obtained by nuclear medicine and catheterism. Accuracy of EBT for left ventricule evaluation has already been proved. Stroke volumes calculated by EBT in right and left ventricules are similar and this constitutes a good validation of the method for right ventricule evaluation. Correlations with hemodynamic measurements are poor and nuclear medicine technics underestimate the ejection fraction. So, EBT is recommended for right ventricular study before and after lung transplantation.