Pulmonary arterial hypertension can turn into a critical condition in no time if left untreated or ignored. Diagnosing this condition at the earliest stage possible is of great importance. The first possibility of detecting the condition could arise either during the tests performed to rule out other conditions or in the form of a general suspicion that arises from the initial causes and symptoms displayed by pulmonary arterial hypertension at play. There are a lot of tests that can give insights into the condition of the pulmonary circulation to detect any presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Diagnosing pulmonary arterial hypertension and its symptoms and causes at the earliest stage can give a better fighting chance for the patient in the long run.

Some of the tests which are used to diagnose pulmonary arterial hypertension are as follows:

Echocardiogram with Doppler test
An echocardiogram is a useful tool in helping the physician understand the possibility of pulmonary arterial hypertension and the clues to find out the chances of the development of the condition. However, while performing this test, one of the important factors that should be kept in mind is to perform a Doppler study along with the echocardiogram in order to be able to approximate the pulmonary artery pressures. The values presented through these tests are calculated on the basis of the sound quality leaving and approaching the echocardiogram machine probe or sensor.

Right heart catheterization
This test is one of the best available tests present currently to find the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In this test, a catheter is passed through the groin into the femoral vein which is one of the larger veins present in the body and is further advanced to the right side of the heart. This catheter could also be passed under the collar bone in the neck or upper arm into a different large vein in the upper body. The catheter that is passed towards the right side of the body would be connected to a device capable of measuring the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries and the right side of the heart. One other factor that can be found through this test is the level of oxygen in the blood in various regions with the movement of the catheter. This metric would give an insight regarding the presence of an acquired or congenital hole that could have led to an increase in the pulmonary arterial blood pressure.

ECG, Chest CT scan, Chest X-ray
These are some other important tools that can help in the diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In the case that any abnormalities are present in the heart, suggestive of right heart failure which ultimately leads to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension, it can be diagnosed through an electrocardiogram or an ECG. If there is an enlargement in the chambers of the right side of the heart which is causing the problem, then this can be identified by making use of the chest X-ray. A chest CT scan, on the other hand, can lead to the diagnosis of any clots present in the pulmonary arteries which may be leading to the increase in blood pressure causing pulmonary arterial hypertension.