Department of Medical Biotechnologies, Division of Cardiology, AOUS Policlinico Santa Maria alle Scotte, University of Siena, Viale Bracci 1, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Cardiology University Department, Heart Failure Unit, IRCCS, Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese and Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milano, Milan, Italy.
Heart Fail Rev. 2021 Mar;26(2):263-275. doi: 10.1007/s10741-020-10014-4.
Cor pulmonale is the condition in which the right ventricle undergoes morphological and/or functional changes due to diseases that affect the lungs, the pulmonary circulation, or the breathing process. Depending on the speed of onset of the pathological condition and subsequent effects on the right ventricle, it is possible to distinguish the acute cor pulmonale from the chronic type of disease. Echocardiography plays a central role in the diagnostic and therapeutic work-up of these patients, because of its non-invasive nature and wide accessibility, providing its greatest usefulness in the acute setting. It also represents a valuable tool for tracking right ventricular function in patients with cor pulmonale, assessing its stability, deterioration, or improvement during follow-up. In fact, not only it provides parameters with prognostic value, but also it can be used to assess the efficacy of treatment. This review attempts to provide the current standards of an echocardiographic evaluation in both acute and chronic cor pulmonale, focusing also on the findings present in the most common pathologies causing this condition.
肺源性心脏病是指由于影响肺、肺循环或呼吸过程的疾病，导致右心室发生形态和/或功能改变的一种病症。根据病理状况的发生速度以及随后对右心室的影响，可以将急性肺源性心脏病与慢性疾病区分开来。由于其非侵入性和广泛的可及性，超声心动图在这些患者的诊断和治疗评估中发挥着核心作用，在急性情况下尤其有用。它也是评估肺源性心脏病患者右心室功能的有价值的工具，可用于在随访期间评估其稳定性、恶化或改善。事实上，它不仅提供具有预后价值的参数，还可用于评估治疗效果。本综述试图提供急性和慢性肺源性心脏病超声心动图评估的当前标准，同时还重点介绍了导致这种情况的最常见病理的表现。
