Echocardiography in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease which can result in right heart (RH) failure and death. Herein, we discuss the current clinical applications of echocardiography in PAH.

RECENT FINDINGS

Advanced echocardiographic techniques (strain, strain rate, 2D-speckle tracking strain, and three-dimensional echocardiography) may reveal in the near future additional important insights into RH structure and function. Although right-heart catheterization is mandatory for a definitive diagnosis, echocardiography (resting and exercise) represents a key noninvasive imaging test on the diagnostic-prognostic-therapeutic PAH algorithm.