In pulmonary hypertension and other conditions, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and left heart failure, right ventricular dysfunction is a prognostic determinant. Therefore, functional parameters pertaining to the right heart alone, i.e. independent of its loading conditions, should be used to quantify right ventricular disease progression and the results of treatment. Two methods to quantitatively describe right ventricular function are reviewed, the pressure-volume relationship and the pump function graph; examples of each method are given. How to estimate wall stress and how to describe diastolic ventricular properties are also discussed.