Pattern of hypertrophy of left ventricle--a histometric analysis of eighteen cases.

The pattern of myocardial hypertrophy in different sites of the left ventricular wall was morphometrically analysed in aortic stenosis (6 cases), hypertensive hypertrophy (5 cases), mitral incompetence (4 cases), and dilated cardiomyopathy (3 cases). The diameter of individual circumferentially oriented mid wall (or middle) fibre was significantly greater than those of subepicardial and subendocardial zones. Thus, hypertrophy does not affect the entire left ventricular myocardium uniformly. It seems to vary according to the spatial configuration of the fibrosis in relation to the cavity.