Utility of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion in the assessment of right ventricular function

Right ventricular (RV) function is an important determinant of prognosis in a large number of cardiopulmonary disease conditions and its assessment is a challenge in day-to-day clinical practice, mostly because of the complex geometry of the chamber. The search for, and validation of reliable indexes of RV function are ongoing. In particular, a large body of evidence has accumulated regarding the use of the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) as an index of RV systolic function in a variety of pathologic conditions. We will review the different areas of application of TAPSE to date.