Pulmonary Hypertension

[gaby73]

Can Pulmonary Hypertension be diagnosed with a 2-d Echocardiogram? If so, what numbers/results on the Echocardiogram are the ones that show the existence of Pulmonary Hypertension? Are the TR Max Vel, RAP and RVSP the relevant ones?

[gaby73]

Thanks so much for your answer, now I would like to be more specific. This is going to be a bit long, but I think it's important to give you as much information as I can... My Dad is 70 years old, while he was visiting us (in Pennsylvania) from Peru he was hospitalized due to a GI bleeding (ulcer). When he was at the hospital he had a Transthoracic Echocardiogram, which confirmed an aortic regurgitation that was previously detected in Peru last December.
The results of the 2-d Echo performed at the hospital are:

"Moderate to severe aortic regurgitation is present. I  cannot tell if the AV is bicuspid or tricuspid. The Ejection Fraction is estimated at 68%. There is evifence of severe pulmonary hypertension. The left ventricular chamber size is at the upper limit of normal. Mild tricuspid regurgitation"

CHAMBERS:
IVSd 1 cm
LVIDd 5.4 cm
LVIDs  3.1 cm
LVPWd 1 cm
AoDiam 3.5 cm
LA Diam 4.5 cm
LVEF 68%

VALVES AV/MV
AV Peak 1.99 m/sec
AV Peak Grad 16 mmHg
AV Mean Grad 9 mmHg
Ao VTI 35.2 cm
LVOT Vel 1.05 m/sec
LVOT VTI  21.2 cm
LVOTd 2.2 cm
AVA Vmax 2.01 cm2
AVA VTI 2.29 cm2
MV Peak Grad 2 mmHg
E PEAK 64.2 cm/sec
A PEAK 103 cm/sec
E/A RATIO 0.6 ratio
E/El 7.9 ratio

PISA
MV DecTime 0.19 sec

VALVES TV/PV
TR Max Vel 4.31 m/sec
RAP 10 mmHg
RVSP 84 mmHg

The first time we knew about the PHTN was when we read the copy of the Echo results upon being discharged from the hospital. The hospital's cardiologist didn't mention it before.  Do these measurements make sense? Can there be a mistake on the measurements in relation to the PHTN? My Dad doesn't have any symptoms, he is very active and has no shortness of breath.
When he returned to Peru he saw his cardiologist and showed him the results of the Echocardiogram performed here at the hospital. His cardiologist said that  according to the results there were no signs of PULMONARY HYPERTENSION.  Would you suggest him seeing another cardiologist?

[Cleveland Clinic]

RVSP is the most relevant one and any value greater than 35 mmHg would be considered abnormal for mild pulmonary HTN, greater then 45 to 50 for moderate and greater than 60 to 70 for severe PHTN.  The gold standard for diagnosing PTHN is a right heart catheterization.