EchoBridge Pearl #23: Right Ventricular Free Wall Thickness
The normal right ventricular (RV) free wall measures 3–5 mm thick in end-diastole (excluding trabeculations).
An RV free wall thickness > 5 mm, measured from the subxiphoid or parasternal long-axis view, is consistent with RV hypertrophy.
In the absence of other causes, this finding suggests chronic RV pressure overload rather than an acute process such as pulmonary embolism.
Recognizing this distinction can help place RV dilation or dysfunction into the appropriate clinical context.
Reference:
đź“– Rudski LG, et al. Guidelines for the echocardiographic assessment of the right heart in adults: a report from the American Society of Echocardiography endorsed by the European Association of Echocardiography, a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology, and the Canadian Society of Echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2010.
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