Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction determines prognosis in patients with chronic pulmonary disease. We examined the relative prognostic potential of measures of systolic, diastolic, and global RV function in 87 patients with chronic pulmonary disease. Systolic function was evaluated by measuring RV dimensions, diastolic function by pulsed wave Doppler of the tricuspid flow profile, and global function by the Tei index. After 15.5 months follow-up, 47 patients had died. Univariate analysis demonstrated that both clinical and echocardiographic variables predicted survival. In the multivariate model both RV end-diastolic diameter index and velocity of late diastolic filling were independent predictors of survival. Receiver operator characteristic analysis demonstrated that a composite model combining these 2 measures provided the most powerful prognostic information. Echocardiographic indices of RV function identify patients with pulmonary disease at high risk and provide incremental prognostic information over and above that supplied by clinical data.