The right ventricle: anatomy, physiology and functional assessment.

Right ventricular function is acknowledged as an important prognostic element in cardiovascular pathologies. Although recent years have seen significant advances in the exploration of cardiac function, assessing right ventricular performance still remains a challenge for the daily practice. The right ventricle is a complex structure that cannot be approximated by a simple geometric form. It functions in a low impedance system therefore it is sensitive to pressure overload. Along with contractility and loading conditions, ventricular interactions play an important part in right ventricular function and failure. The aims of our review are to describe the main characteristics of RV anatomy, function and failure and also to present the standard and novel tools that can be employed to investigate them. Moreover, the advantages, limitations and clinical significance of each parameter will be discussed.