Left ventricular hypertrophy overview
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Overview
Left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) is the thickening of the myocardium (muscle) of the left ventricle of the heart. While ventricular hypertrophy can occur naturally as a reaction to aerobic exercise and strength training, it is most frequently referred to as a pathological reaction to cardiovascular disease.While LVH itself is not a disease, it is usually a marker for disease involving the heart.
Causes
Causes
Disease processes that can cause LVH include any disease that increases the afterload in which the heart has to contract against. Some primary diseases of the heart muscle can also give rise to left ventricular hypertrophy.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Electrocardiogram
The electrocardiogram (EKG) often shows signs of increased voltage from the heart in individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy, so this is often used as a screening test to determine who should undergo further testing with an echocardiogram.
Echocardiogram
The principal method used to diagnose LVH is echocardiography, during which the thickness of the muscle of the heart can be measured.
References
References
- Sokolow Sokolow M, Lyon TP: The ventricular complex in left verntricular hypterfophy as obtained by unipolar precordial and limb leads. Am Heart J 37: 161, 1949
- Sundström J, Lind L, Arnlöv J, Zethelius B, Andrén B, Lithell HO. Echocardiographic and electrocardiographic diagnoses of left ventricular hypertrophy predict mortality independently of each other in a population of elderly men Circulation. 2001 May 15;103(19):2346-51. PMID 11352882
- Levy D, Salomon M, D’Agostino RB, Belanger AJ, Kannel WB.Prognostic implications of baseline electrocardiographic features and their serial changes in subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy. Circulation. 1994 Oct;90(4):1786-93.Related Articles, Links PMID 7923663
- Casale PN, Devereux RB, Alonso DR, Campo E, Kligfield P (1987). “Improved sex-specific criteria of left ventricular hypertrophy for clinical and computer interpretation of electrocardiograms: validation with autopsy findings”. Circulation. 75 (3): 565–72. PMID 2949887.
- Marriott, Henry J. L.; Wagner, Galen S. (2001). Marriott’s practical electrocardiography. Hagerstwon, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0683307460.
- Hammill S. C. Electrocardiographic diagnoses: Criteria and definitions of abnormalities, Chapter 18, MAYO Clinic, Concise Textbook of Cardiology, 3rd edition, 2007 ISBN 0-8493-9057-5
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