CHDs manifest themselves in many different, complex ways and can create a wide range of cardiac malformations. In many cases, characteristics of the RV have a pivotal impact on the disease presentation and progression. Depending on the specific type of CHD, the right ventricle could be exposed to severe pressure and/or volume overload (eg. intracardiac shunts) or, in certain cases (eg. complex malformations such as tetralogy of Fallot), the heart muscle architecture could also differ from the typical structure. And, this effect may become more prominent based on the altered loading conditions of the RV. Sorting out the magnitude and clinical relevance of these different effects is difficult without a granular and quantified view of the RV.[2]

With appropriate care, over 97% of children with CHD are expected to reach adulthood.[3] As a result, CHD-related conditions can affect a person's health status across their lifespan and require extensive and specific cardiovascular care. In the US, critical congenital heart defect-associated hospitalizations had the highest mean and median costs ($79,011 and $29,886, respectively). Given the cost of the treatments, the high impact of successful treatments on patient's quality and length of life, and the complexity of the disease, particularly as it affects the RV, understanding the details of an individual patient's CHD is particularly important.[4]