Assessment and diagnosis of right ventricular failure—retrospection and future directions

Sun Kyun Ro, Kei Sato, Shinichi Ijuin, Declan Sela, Gabriele Fior, Silver Heinsar, Ji Young Kim, Jonathan Chan, Hideaki Nonaka, Aaron C. W. Lin, Gianluigi Li Bassi, David G. Platts, Nchafatso G. Obonyo, Jacky Y. Suen and John F. Fraser. Front. Cardiovasc. Med DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1030864

Introduction: The right ventricle (RV) has a critical role in hemodynamics and right ventricular failure (RVF) often leads to poor clinical outcome. Despite the clinical importance of RVF, its definition and recognition currently rely on patients’ symptoms and signs, rather than on objective parameters from quantifying RV dimensions and function. A key challenge is the geometrical complexity of the RV, which often makes it difficult to assess RV function accurately. There are several assessment modalities currently utilized in the clinical settings. Each diagnostic investigation has both advantages and limitations according to its characteristics. The purpose of this review is to reflect on the current diagnostic tools, consider the potential technological advancements and propose how to improve the assessment of right ventricular failure.