Characterizing the right ventricle: advancing our knowledge.

Our ability to evaluate the right ventricle (RV) in pulmonary hypertension has traditionally been quite limited: the RV's complex anatomy is not adequately represented by 2-dimensional imaging, and our understanding of what is an adaptive and maladaptive RV response is incomplete. However, measures of RV function appear to be a strong predictor of survival in pulmonary hypertension. This is, therefore, a promising area for future study. To more fully understand the challenges and opportunities in this area, this article provides a review of RV embryology and anatomy, current assessment of the RV function, animal models of RV function, RV-pulmonary artery coupling, and how translating lessons from studies of the left ventricle may increase our knowledge of the RV.