Histopathological study of hypertrophied myocardium of known etiologies with special reference to correlation of ECG changes.

Sixty-two autopsied hearts, with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) caused by mitral regurgitation (MR), aortic failure (AR), combined valvular disease (CVD), hypertension (HHD), or ischemia (IHD), and 23 control hearts with normal left ventricles were studied morphologically for analysis of modes of hypertrophy and for ECG-pathology correlation. Basic disorders modify the mode of hypertrophy; that is, elongated AR-type LV makes muscle fiber orientation in the outer layer more vertical, and globular MR-type LV makes it more horizontal than normal. High-voltage QRS correlates with hypertrophy of the outer layer which is often associated with that of the inner layer. ST depression and T changes correspond to relative deterioration of the inner and median layers, respectively.