Three major mechanisms contribute to right ventricular (RV) pump function: (i) shortening of the longitudinal axis with traction of the tricuspid annulus towards the apex; (ii) inward movement of the RV free wall; (iii) bulging of the interventricular septum into the RV and stretching the free wall over the septum. The relative contribution of the aforementioned mechanisms to RV pump function may change in different pathological conditions.Our aim was to develop a custom method to separately assess the extent of longitudinal, radial and anteroposterior displacement of the RV walls and to quantify their relative contribution to global RV ejection fraction using 3D data sets obtained by echocardiography.Accordingly, we decomposed the movement of the exported RV beutel wall in a vertex based manner. The volumes of the beutels accounting for the RV wall motion in only one direction (either longitudinal, radial, or anteroposterior) were calculated at each time frame using the signed tetrahedron method. Then, the relative contribution of the RV wall motion along the three different directions to global RV ejection fraction was calculated either as the ratio of the given direction’s ejection fraction to global ejection fraction and as the frame-by-frame RV volume change (∆V/∆t) along the three motion directions.The ReVISION (Right VentrIcular Separate wall motIon quantificatiON) method may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of RV mechanical adaptations to different loading conditions and diseases.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12947-017-0100-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Assessment of right ventricular (RV) function using conventional echocardiography might be inadequate as the radial motion of the RV free wall is often neglected. Our aim was to quantify the longitudinal and the radial components of RV function using three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography in heart transplant (HTX) recipients. Fifty-one HTX patients in stable cardiovascular condition without history of relevant rejection episode or chronic allograft vasculopathy and 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled. RV end-diastolic (EDV) volume and total ejection fraction (TEF) were measured by 3D echocardiography. Furthermore, we quantified longitudinal (LEF) and radial ejection fraction (REF) by decomposing the motion of the RV using the ReVISION method. RV EDV did not differ between groups (HTX vs control; 96 ± 27 vs 97 ± 2 mL). In HTX patients, TEF was lower, however, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) decreased to a greater extent (TEF: 47 ± 7 vs 54 ± 4% [-13%], TAPSE: 11 ± 5 vs 21 ± 4 mm [-48%], P < .0001). In HTX patients, REF/TEF ratio was significantly higher compared to LEF/TEF (REF/TEF vs LEF/TEF: 0.58 ± 0.10 vs 0.27 ± 0.08, P < .0001), while in controls the REF/TEF and LEF/TEF ratio was similar (0.45 ± 0.07 vs 0.47 ± 0.07). Current results confirm the superiority of radial motion in determining RV function in HTX patients. Parameters incorporating the radial motion are recommended to assess RV function in HTX recipients.

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We aimed to characterize female athlete's heart in elite competitors in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Bikini Fitness category and compare them to athletes of a more dynamic sport discipline and healthy, sedentary volunteers using 3D echocardiography. Fifteen elite female fitness athletes were recruited and compared to 15 elite, age-matched female water polo athletes and 15 age-matched healthy, nontrained controls. Using 3D echocardiography, left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic volume index (EDVi) and LV mass index (LVMi) were measured. Fitness athletes presented similar LV and RV EDVi compared to healthy, sedentary volunteers. Water polo athletes, however, had higher LV and also RV EDVi (fitness versus water polo versus control; LVEDVi: 76 ± 13 versus 84 ± 8 versus 73 ± 8 ml/m2, ANOVA p = 0.045; RVEDVi: 61 ± 12 versus 86 ± 14 versus 55 ± 9 ml/m2, p < 0.0001). LVMi was significantly higher in the athlete groups; the hypertrophy, however, was even more prominent in water polo athletes (78 ± 13 versus 91 ± 10 versus 57 ± 10 g/m2, p < 0.0001). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize female athlete's heart of IFBB Bikini Fitness competitors. The predominantly static exercise regime induced a mild, concentric-type LV hypertrophy, while in water polo athletes higher ventricular volumes and eccentric LV hypertrophy developed.

A jobb kamra geometriai és funkcionális változásai számos megbetegedésben nagy jelentőséggel bírnak. Mindazonáltal a rutin echokardiográfiás mérések csak korlátozott diagnosztikus és prognosztikus erővel rendelkeznek. Az olyan modern szívultrahangos technikák, mint a speckle-tracking analízis vagy a 3D echokardiográfia napjainkban már elérhető és könnyen kivitelezhető módszerek, amelyek a jobb kamra komplex felépítésének és működésének költségha-tékony, noninvazív vizsgálatát teszik lehetővé. Diagnosztikus értékük és precizitásuk jóval nehezebben hozzáférhető eljárásokat helyettesíthet. Egyre bővülő irodalmi adatok alapján használatuk a mindennapi klinikumban (jobb kamrai infarktus, pulmonalis hypertensio, arrhythmogen jobb kamrai dysplasia, szívtranszplantáció utáni követés, a sportszív differenciáldiagnosztikája) lényeges segítséget jelenthet. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(29), 1139-1146. Kulcsszavak: 3D echokardiográfia, jobb kamra, jobbkamra-funkció Assessment of the right ventricular anatomy and function by advanced echocardiography: pathological and physiological insightsAccurate assessment of right ventricular geometry and function is of high clinical importance. However, several limitations have to be taken into consideration if using conventional echocardiographic parameters. Advanced echocardiographic techniques, such as speckle-tracking analysis or 3D echocardiography are reliable and simple tools providing a cost-effective and non-invasive alternative of current modalities used to characterize the right ventricle. There is a growing interest in the diagnostic and prognostic value of these methods regarding pathological (right ventricular infarction, pulmonary hypertension, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, follow-up of heart transplantation) and even physiological (athlete's heart) alterations of the right ventricle. Keywords: 3D echocardiography, right ventricle, right ventricular functionLakatos, B., Kovács, A., Tokodi, M., Doronina, A., Merkely, B. [Assessment of the right ventricular anatomy and function by advanced echocardiography: pathological and physiological insights]. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(29), 1139-1146. ÖSSZEFOGLALÓ KÖZLEMÉNYRövidítések ARVD = arrhythmogen jobb kamrai dysplasia; CX = bal koszorúér körbefutó ága; EF = ejekciós frakció; FAC = frakcionális területváltozás; HTX = szívtranszplantáció; LAD = bal koszorúér elülső leszálló ága; MRI = mágneses rezonanciás képalko-tás; PET-CT = pozitronemissziós tomográfia-komputertomográfia fúziós képalkotás; PHT = pulmonalis hypertensio; RCA = jobb koszorúér; TAPSE = tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion A jobbkamra-funkció és annak változásai hosszú időn át mérsékelt figyelmet kaptak tudományos szempontból, annak ellenére, hogy már Sir William Harvey 1628-as "De Motu Cordis" című értekezésében is lényeges szerepet tulajdonít a jobb szívfélnek. Mint a szisztémás keringés motorja, a bal kamra volt a vizsgálatok fő tárgya: a kezdeti eredmények alapján a jobb kamra szabad falának kísérletes roncsolása nem járt érdemleges funkcionális