Imaging techniques for assessing pulmonary artery hypertension and right ventricular performance with special reference to COPD

Several imaging techniques, both noninvasive and minimally invasive, have now been applied widely for determining cardiovascular performance in patients with chronic respiratory disease, particularly COPD. Moreover, some of these techniques are useful for evaluating response to therapeutic intervention in these patients. The plain chest radiograph is useful primarily for detecting the presence of pulmonary artery hypertension in patients with COPD. Radionuclide angiocardiography, using either first-pass techniques or the gated equilibrium technique, is particularly useful for determining right and left ventricular ejection fraction. Echocardiography has evolved as a technique for assessing right ventricular size and function and, in some cases, the degree of pulmonary artery hypertension.