Visual assessment of right ventricular function by echocardiography: how good are we?

The complex anatomy and physiology of the right ventricle (RV) is a major limitation of visual echocardiographic gradation of RV systolic function (RVF). The aim of this study was to compare visual assessment (“eyeballing”) of RVF with gold standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF). Medical professionals from a range of clinical settings and with varying degrees of echocardiography experience were recruited via an online ultrasound teaching platform. In an anonymized web-based test, participants graded RVF in 10 patients with varying degrees of RVF via “eyeballing” of an RV-focused four-chamber view. Two skills were evaluated: (1) ability to differentiate between normal and reduced RVF; and (2) ability to determine the correct degree of RV systolic dysfunction. A total of 868 participants from 99 countries were included. For detection of reduced RVF (MRI-RVEF < 50%), sensitivity was 97.1%, 96,8%, 96.5%, and 95.8% and specificity was 55.7%, 52.8%, 54.6%, and 42.5% for the expert, advanced, intermediate, and beginner groups, respectively. For determination of the correct degree of RV dysfunction, even experienced examiners assigned a diagnosis that was discordant with MRI in > 40% of cases. In the present cohort, “eyeballing” was associated with excellent sensitivity but poor specificity in terms of differentiation between normal and abnormal RVF. Even among experts, classification of the degree of RV dysfunction was imprecise. In accordance with current guidelines, the present data suggest that “eyeballing” should be combined with evaluation of other echocardiographic parameters of RVF.