The Non-invasive Assessment of the Pulmonary Circulation-Right Ventricular Functional Unit: Diagnostic and Prognostic Implications.

The pulmonary circulation and the right ventricle play a pivotal role in the global hemodynamics of human beings, so much so that their close interaction is encapsulated in the concept of a "morpho-functional unit". In this review we aim to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of various noninvasive established techniques. The goal is to detect early morphologic and/or functional changes in the pulmonary circulation and right ventricular unit, which is crucial for tailoring treatments and prognostic assessments. The scope of this review includes resting and stress echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance in characterizing the pulmonary circulation-right ventricular unit both morphologically and functionally.