Figure 1

Pressure-Volume Loop of normal LV and RV. (A) The isovolumic contraction, ejection, isovolumic relaxation and ventricular filling phases of the cardiac cycle are shown in the LV pressure-volume plot. Point a, the point of maximum volume and minimum pressure corresponds to the end of diastole, the beginning of systole, and the closure of the mitral valve in the cycle. Point b, indicates that LVP rises above aortic pressure (AoP), at which point the aortic valve opens and begins to eject blood. Point c, the point at which LVP falls below AoP means the aortic valve closes and isovolumetric relaxation begins. Point d, LVP falls below LAP, the point at which the mitral valve opens and LV filling begins; (B) The RV loop exhibits a less prominent isovolumic period than the LV, and the top of the RV PV loop is more dome-shaped; (C) The LV ESPVR (Ees) (black line) has a much higher slope than the RV Ees. Ea (blue line), is coined the effective arterial elastance, that is, the elastance at the end of systole. Abbreviations: AoP, aortic pressure; Ea, arterial elastance; Ees, endsystolic elastance; ESPVR, endsystolic pressurevolume relationship; PV, pressure volume; LAP, left atrial pressure; LVP, left ventricular pressure; Pes, pressure at endsystole arterial elastance."

Table 1

Echocardiographic Parameters Reflecting Ventricular Interactions"

Figure 2

Assessing LV eccentricity index from echocardiographic parasternal short-axis view. The left ventricular eccentricity index is calculated as the ratio of the 2 minor LV axes: LV lateral dimension (A) over the anterior-posterior (B) dimension."

Figure 3

Echocardiographic Parasternal M-Mode Depicting Transverse RV Shortening Fraction as a Measure of RV Dysfunction. End-diastolic dimension is depicted by the yellow arrow and end-systolic dimension by the white arrow. LV and RV contraction are highly aligned and septal position is neutral. LV, left ventricular; RV, right ventricular."