The Role of Echocardiography in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension: From Suspicion to Prognostification

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious clinical condition that requires a timely diagnosis and treatment in order to improve the patient’s prognosis. Echocardiography is a vital, non-invasive, widely available screening tool that can be used to determine the cause of PH and assess its severity. It provides information about the structure and function of the right ventricle (RV), aiding the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PH through hemodynamic assessment. This includes the estimation of pulmonary artery (PA) systolic pressure, which is determined by the peak velocity of tricuspid regurgitation and the size of the inferior vena cava. Conventional echocardiographic parameters, such as pericardial effusion, right atrial size, and RV systolic function parameters, can be used to predict prognosis. Additionally, newer echocardiographic variables, such as RV strain values and RV-PA coupling indices, can also be useful in prognostication. Therefore, echocardiography provides comprehensive insights into the management of patients with PH. In this review, we describe key echocardiographic parameters and emphasize their importance in diagnosis and prognosis.