Comparison of M-mode echocardiography and angiography in the evaluation of left ventricular hypertrophy.

The authors analysed in a group of 82 patients with a symmetric left ventricle and a homogeneous ventricular wall thickness the reliability of M-mode echocardiography in recognizing left ventricular hypertrophy. In concentric hypertrophies, a sufficient diagnostic criterion is ventricular wall thickness. Measurement of the interventricular septum offers a better correlation with angiographic values (r = 0.609, p less than 0.001) than measurement of the posterior wall (r = 0.358, p less than 0.01); a correct diagnosis can be determined in 84%. In excentric hypertrophies, the hypertrophy must be assessed on the basis of calculating the left ventricular mass. The most accurate of echocardiographic methods proved to be the calculation according to the authors' own formula (r = 0.760, p less than 0.001), which recognizes left ventricular hypertrophy correctly in 85%. The diagnostic correctness of Teichholz' formula is 80% and of the cubic formula 74%. Fortuin's equations proved to be of no value for documenting ventricular hypertrophy. In a group of 13 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the correlation between angiographic and echocardiographic values of the left ventricular mass was very low (r = 0.534, p = 0.05).