Radiology of the right ventricle

Right ventricular dysfunction may be subtle, and it of ten goes undiagnosed . The response of the right ventricle to a wide variety of acquired and con genital pulmonary and cardiac diseases is nonspecific; the chamber dilates in face of increased volume, and the myocardium hypertrophies in face of in creased pulmonary resistance. The radiographic appearance of these changes may be inferred on plain chest film examination by identification of charac teristic abnormalities. Using contrast angiographic technique, changes in c hamber size and shape can be directly demonstrated, and changes in wall mor phology inferred. MR imaging directly shows the size of the ventricular cav ity and the morphology and mass of the right ventricular myocardium, thus a ffording a means of more complete evaluation of the functional status of th e right ventricle.