Measurement Of Ventricular Mass Research Articles

Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy: Comparison to necropsy findings

To determine the accuracy of echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) dimension and mass measurements for detection and quantification of LV hypertrophy, results of blindly read antemortem echocardiograms were compared with LV mass measurements made at necropsy in 55 patients. LV mass was calculated using M-mode LV measurements by Penn and American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) conventions and cube function and volume correction formulas in 52 patients. Penn-cube LV mass correlated closely with necropsy LV mass (r = 0.92, p < 0.001) and overestimated it by only 6%; sensitivity in 18 patients with LV hypertrophy (necropsy LV mass more than 215 g) was 100% (18 of 18 patients) and specificity was 86% (29 of 34 patients). ASE-cube LV mass correlated similarly to necropsy LV mass (r = 0.90, p < 0.001), but systematically overestimated it (by a mean of 25%); the overestimation could be corrected by the equation: LV mass = 0.80 (ASE-cube LV mass) + 0.6 g. Use of ASE measurements in the volume correction formula systematically underestimated necropsy LV mass (by a mean of 30%). In a subset of 9 patients, 3 of whom had technically inadequate M-mode echocardiograms, 2-dimensional echocardiographic (echo) LV mass by 2 methods was also significantly related to necropsy LV mass (r = 0.68, p < 0.05 and r = 0.82, p < 0.01). Among other indexes of LV anatomy, only measurement of myocardial cross-sectional area was acceptably accurate for quantitation of LV mass (r = 0.80, p < 0.001) or diagnosis of LV hypertrophy (sensitivity = 72%, specificity = 94%). In conclusion, M-mode echo LV mass by the Penn-cube method accurately diagnoses and quantitates LV hypertrophy, as does LV mass by the ASE-cube method after correction by a simple regression equation; 2-D echocardiography may increase the proportion of patients in whom LV mass can be measured; and measurements of LV cross-sectional area detect and quantify LV hypertrophy with moderate accuracy, whereas other echo measurements are less useful for this purpose.

Cardiac function in adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa

Twelve patients with anorexia nervosa (mean age 17.6 years) underwent noninvasive cardiac evaluation. All patients had normal sinus rhythm at rest, during exercise, and following 24-hr electrocardiographic monitoring. The chest roentgenograms demonstrated a small heart secondary to a loss of left ventricular mass. Three of four patients studied had left ventricular mass measurements less than 100 g (normal is 90-360 g). Most patients had an elevated heart rate response to exercise with a slightly blunted systolic and a normal diastolic blood pressure response. Eleven of the 12 patients had reduced overall maximal working capacity. All but one had normal left ventricular ejection fraction at rest. There was no evidence of arrhythmias at rest, during exercise, or with continuous electrocardiographic recording. Young patients with anorexia nervosa appeared to have essentially normal cardiac function with a reduction in left ventricular muscle mass.

Physiologic changes during chronic congestive heart failure in dogs with tricuspid insufficiency and pulmonic stenosis.

chronic congestive heart failure was studied in dogs with surgically-produced tricuspid insufficiency and pulmonic stenosis. Ascites formed in association with an elevation in mean right atrial pressure. The volume of ascitic fluid and the rate of urinary sodium excretion varied greatly in individual dogs during the course of congestive failure and among the different animals. Sodium retention was most common but periods of sodium balance and natriuresis occurred. Comparative data on the right and left ventricles were obtained from determinations of intracardiac pressures, measurements of ventricular muscle mass at the time of sacrifice and studies of the lungs for evidence of chronic passive congestion. There was significant right ventricular hypertrophy but no evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy or failure.