Assessment of cardiac function and hemodynamics in children and adults with right ventricular pressure overload: role of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

Accumulating evidence suggests that pressure overload on the right ventricle (RV) leads to RV dysfunction, with considerable morbidity and mortality. Therefore, appropriate RV evaluation is essential because timely intervention may preserve RV function and prevent irreversible RV damage. Currently, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the imaging modality of choice for RV functional evaluation and cardiac flow quantification. Through its unlimited access to the chest, CMR permits a detailed morphological assessment of the whole RV and the pulmonary artery tree in a single comprehensive examination. CMR has several technical advantages: it is non-invasive, has excellent spatial resolution, images can be obtained in any desired orientation, and there are no acoustic window limitations or radiation risks. In this thesis, the assessment of cardiac function and hemodynamics in children and adults with right ventricular pressure overload using CMR is discussed.