The effect of pulmonary hypertension on systolic function of the right ventricle.

This study sought to determine if the right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) could be used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension noninvasively. The right ventricular ejection fraction was measured with gated blood pool radionuclide ventriculography and compared to hemodynamic measurements made within 48 hours in 57 subjects. There was a significant inverse relationship between the RVEF and pulmonary artery pressure (r = .57, p less than .001) and the sensitivity of RVEF greater than .45 in diagnosing pulmonary hypertension was .76. Other significant determinants of right ventricular function, including right coronary disease, left ventricular function and tricuspid regurgitation, were also considered.