Tags: Disease.
Cor pulmonale (Latin cor heart + New Latin pulmōnāle of the lungs) also known as pulmonary heart disease is enlargement and failure of the right ventricle of the heart as a response to increased vascular resistance or high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension). Chronic cor pulmonale usually results in right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) whereas acute cor pulmonale usually results in dilatation. Hypertrophy is an adaptive response to a long-term increase in pressure.