Response to the letter “Right ventricular dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension” by Ze-Zhou Song

Abstract We appreciate the interest shown by Dr. Song regarding our recent paper demonstrating the utility of tissue strain imaging to identify right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Dr. Song raises several questions that deserve comment. Both RV strain and systolic eccentricity index have been shown to correlate with RV function in patients with PH. We believe that both methods are complimentary to each other in their assessment of RV dysfunction. RV diastolic function was not measured in our study and therefore we cannot comment on its correlation with hemodynamic variables. Future research is warranted to ascertain the role of RV diastolic dysfunction in the progression of RV failure in patients with PH.