Left ventricular hypertrophy: differential diagnosis

Abstract

There are some imaging methods for the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy. Such as echocardiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging. These methods help to identify changes at different stages, evaluate the prognosis, stratify the risk and differential diagnosis.
The left ventricle hypertrophy is a condition that may be due to physiological adaptation due to overload. For example, in patients with arterial hypertension, in athletes, and so on. Left ventricle hypertrophy may also be associated with a change in the actual structure: for example, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Signs of left ventricle hypertrophy by echocardiography are a very significant predictor of mortality in patients with arterial hypertension in the general population. The presence of left ventricle hypertrophy by echocardiography is a high cardiovascular risk for the patient.
It is important to diagnose diseases with a high risk of sudden cardiac death on time. One of these diseases is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A clinical diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is impossible without visualization. Therefore, the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging recommends a multimodal approach in examining patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Сomputed tomography, echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging are used to diagnose which patient’s hypertrophy is pathological or physiological. The choice of which method to use depends on the diagnostic task, and also on the specific advantages and disadvantages of the method. Different visualization methods should be considered complementary, not competing. It is also important to choose a particular imaging technique given its diagnostic value, availability, benefits, risks and costs.