[Electrocardiographic diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy accompanied by complete right bundle branch block].

The new electrocardiographic criteria for diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) were evaluated in patients with complete right bundle branch block (CRBBB) based on the relationships between left ventricular mass and multiple electrocardiographic variables obtained from 12-lead electrocardiograms. The subjects consisted of 88 patients with CRBBB, whose ages ranged from 18 to 86 years. Patients with histories of myocardial infarction, moderate to severe pericardial effusion and an undetermined axis were excluded from the study. LVH was defined as left ventricular mass (LVmass) > or = 215 g calculated from the Penn method using standard M-mode echo measurements. All electrocardiograms were interpreted by one investigator who had no knowledge of the echocardiographic results. Items calculated were the amplitude of Q, R, and S waves and their A/R, R/S, and S/A ratios, the mean frontal QRS axis, ventricular activation time in lead V5, the Morris' index, ST-T segment depression in leads V5,6, and negative U waves in leads V5,6. We selected 22 items for our criteria according to their sensitivity and specificity, and added to the 11 previously reported ones determined. LV wall thickness correlated best with R I (r = 0.57, p < 0.01), LV diastolic dimension with RV5 (r = 0.48, p < 0.01), and LV mass with R I+S III (r = 0.60, p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)