What imaging technique is typically used to assess right heart function for BTT devices?

Echocardiography is the imaging technique that is most commonly utilized to assess right heart function, particularly in the context of Bridge to Transplant (BTT) devices. This method is preferred due to its ability to provide real-time evaluations of cardiac structure and function, including the assessment of ventricular function, hemodynamics, and valvular integrity.

Echocardiography offers several advantages, such as being non-invasive, widely available, and capable of providing dynamic views of the heart's chambers and blood flow. In patients with heart failure who may be candidates for mechanical circulatory support or heart transplantation, understanding right heart function is critical for tailoring therapy and managing complications.

While other imaging modalities like X-ray, CT scans, and electrocardiograms have their specific uses in cardiac assessment, they do not provide the same detailed visualization of heart function and structure as echocardiography. X-rays can show heart size and pulmonary congestion but lack functional assessment. CT scans are more useful for anatomical imaging rather than functional evaluation, and electrocardiograms primarily focus on electrical activity rather than direct measurements of heart chamber function. Therefore, for the context of assessing right heart function for BTT devices, echocardiography is the most appropriate choice.