title: Characterizing the right ventricle: advancing our knowledge.
abstract: Our ability to evaluate the right ventricle (RV) in pulmonary hypertension has traditionally been quite limited: the RV's complex anatomy is not adequately represented by 2-dimensional imaging, and our understanding of what is an adaptive and maladaptive RV response is incomplete. However, measures of RV function appear to be a strong predictor of survival in pulmonary hypertension. This is, therefore, a promising area for future study. To more fully understand the challenges and opportunities in this area, this article provides a review of RV embryology and anatomy, current assessment of the RV function, animal models of RV function, RV-pulmonary artery coupling, and how translating lessons from studies of the left ventricle may increase our knowledge of the RV.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-8550, USA. kelly.chin@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coghlan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology*; D006801:Humans; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology*