Assessment Of Right Atrial Structure And Function In Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)was characterized by a progressive increasing resistance in pulmonary vascular and vascular remodeling,which led to right heart failure and early death.Right atrial structure and function changes had an important influence on monitoring the disease progression and prognosis in patients.1 During the hole cardiac cycle,the three components of right atrial function same as left atrial were:(1)reservoir function: storing the blood from superior vena cava,inferior vena cava and coronary sinus when the tricuspid valve was closed;(2)conduit function: passive blood transfer directly from the systemic veins to the right ventricular with the initiative of the right ventricular suction when the tricuspid valve was open early;(3)booster pump function: atrial contraction Initiatively when the tricuspid valve was open in late diastole to complete ventricular filling.2 The after load of right ventricular had been increased when pulmonary artery hypertension occurred,as well as right ventricular compliance reduced,diameter enlarged,volume increased,and right ventricular appeared systolic dysfunction at last.At the same time a series of changes about structure and function of right atrial happened,such as the chamber and pressure increased,and the three phase function changed also and so on.Due to the limitations of the right atrial complex patterns and methodology,the studies on right atrial were not widespread in both domestic and abroad nowadays,we will do some reviews about the assessment of right atrial structure and function in patients with pulmonary hypertension.