Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians

Pucci, Martina; Capece, Luca Maria; Pontoriero, Mariateresa; Paoletta, Daniele; Iacono, Marina; La Rocca, Francesca; Luise, Roberto; Esposito, Roberta

doi:10.3390/life15081194

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Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians

by

Martina Pucci

^1,†,

Luca Maria Capece

^1,*,†,

Mariateresa Pontoriero

¹,

Daniele Paoletta

¹,

Marina Iacono

¹,

Francesca La Rocca

²,

Roberto Luise

¹ and

Roberta Esposito

¹

Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University Hospital, 80131 Naples, Italy

²

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95122 Catania, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Life 2025, 15(8), 1194; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081194 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 11 June 2025 / Revised: 18 July 2025 / Accepted: 22 July 2025 / Published: 27 July 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinarity in Cardiovascular Diseases: From Pathophysiology to Diagnosis and Treatment: 3rd Edition)

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Abstract

The right heart–pulmonary circulation unit (RH-PCU) constitutes an integrated anatomo-functional system characterized by high-volume blood flow, low intravascular pressure, and minimal pulmonary vascular resistance. The RH-PCU dysfunction is a challenge for clinicians, as it can result from numerous pathological conditions, each with different clinical presentations. The pathophysiological changes underlying the hemodynamic alterations in the pressure and volume affecting the right ventricle can lead the patient to present with the primary symptom: dyspnea. We review the clinical presentation, the laboratory test, and the role of multimodality imaging in the evaluation of the disfunction of the RHPCU, including echocardiography, stress echocardiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging, and invasive pressure measurement through catheterization. We therefore aimed to describe the various diagnostic options available to clinicians, evaluating their effectiveness and limitations of use.

Keywords: right ventricle; echocardiography; dyspnea

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MDPI and ACS Style

Pucci, M.; Capece, L.M.; Pontoriero, M.; Paoletta, D.; Iacono, M.; La Rocca, F.; Luise, R.; Esposito, R. Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians. Life 2025, 15, 1194. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081194

AMA Style

Pucci M, Capece LM, Pontoriero M, Paoletta D, Iacono M, La Rocca F, Luise R, Esposito R. Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians. Life. 2025; 15(8):1194. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081194

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pucci, Martina, Luca Maria Capece, Mariateresa Pontoriero, Daniele Paoletta, Marina Iacono, Francesca La Rocca, Roberto Luise, and Roberta Esposito. 2025. "Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians" Life 15, no. 8: 1194. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081194

APA Style

Pucci, M., Capece, L. M., Pontoriero, M., Paoletta, D., Iacono, M., La Rocca, F., Luise, R., & Esposito, R. (2025). Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians. Life, 15(8), 1194. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15081194

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Right Heart Evaluation: A Tough Challenge for Clinicians

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