The role of imaging in hypertensive heart disease.

Hypertensive heart disease (HHD) describes a spectrum of target organ response that includes left ventricular hypertrophy, systolic, and diastolic dysfunction. A variety of imaging techniques can be used to assess the various aspects of HHD. Echocardiography has for many years been the main imaging technique in the evaluation of HHD, but there is an increasing role for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging due to its ability to provide an unrestricted field of view and noninvasive tissue characterization.

Assessment of right heart dilatation with magnetic resonance imaging and multidetector computed tomography angiography: spectrum of disease findings.

Right heart chamber enlargement can be caused by a diverse and heterogeneous group of conditions with highly varied clinical symptoms and signs. An appreciation of the pathophysiology, causes, and imaging features of right heart enlargement is paramount in recognizing and potentially ameliorating the development of right heart dysfunction or adverse cardiac events. Chest x-ray and transthoracic echocardiography have traditionally been, and still are, the mainstay in initial evaluation of right heart dilatation; however, recent advances in both multidetector computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging now permit a comprehensive assessment of the causes and consequences of right heart dilatation.