title: Differential phenotype profile between main right ventricular chamber and outflow tract in chronic pulmonary hypertension: echocardiographic observation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Right ventricular (RV) dilatation and systolic dysfunction are known remodeling changes occurring in chronic pulmonary hypertension and are likely the result of increases in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). It remains unclear whether PVR affects primarily the main RV chamber (mRVc) or the RV outflow tract (RVOT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Standard echocardiography data were collected from a heterogeneous population of 85 consecutive patients (mean age of 54 ± 12 years and mean pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 56 ± 28 mm Hg) to determine how PVR affected size and function of both RV chambers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regarding size, PVR correlated more with mRVc end systolic area (r = 0.77; P < 0.0001) than either mRVc end diastolic area (r = 0.58; P < 0.0001) or RVOT systolic length (r = 0.54; P < 0.0001), although it did not correlate with RVOT end diastolic length. In terms of fractional area change, a stronger negative correlation was seen between PVR and mRVc (r = -0.77; P < 0.0001) than with PVR and RVOT (r = -0.69; P < 0.0001). Systolic velocity of the tricuspid annulus was the best parameter in identifying elevated PVR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the echocardiography results, increasing PVR values appear to result in differential RV remodeling with significant mRVc dilation and systolic dysfunction when compared with RVOT. It is important to determine whether the different RV remodeling processes occur in all patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension, regardless of etiology; alter therapeutic response; or determine clinical outcomes.
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Candales
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017380:Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*