ABSTRACT
Differential diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common finding in cardiology and may represent either a physiological adaptation or a manifestation of an underlying cardiovascular disease. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) enable a detailed assessment of left ventricular structure, function, and tissue characteristics, thus facilitating an accurate differentiation between physiological and pathological hypertrophy. Echocardiography remains the first-line modality for identifying LVH, evaluating wall thickness, left ventricular mass index, relative wall thickness, systolic and diastolic function, and hemodynamic parameters. Moreover, global longitudinal strain (GLS) sensitively captures subtle, early dysfunction of left ventricle myocardium and improves prognostic assessment in diverse cardiac disorders. CMR is the reference standard for volumetric and mass assessment and offers unique advantages in tissue characterization. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and parametric mapping allow quantification of fibrosis and detection of infiltrative or storage diseases. A differential diagnosis of LVH includes among others hypertensive heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), athlete’s heart, amyloidosis, and Fabry disease. HCM is characterized by asymmetric hypertrophy, sarcomeric mutations, impaired GLS, and often the presence of LGE exceeding 15% of LV mass, which is associated with a greater risk of sudden cardiac death. Athlete’s heart presents with symmetrical hypertrophy, preserved function, normal or supranormal GLS, and absence of pathological fibrosis. Amyloidosis and Fabry disease show distinctive structural and strain patterns as well as characteristic CMR abnormalities, such as diffuse subendocardial LGE or elevated ECV. An accurate differentiation of LVH etiologies is essential for guiding therapy, risk stratification, and prognosis. Comprehensive multimodality imaging remains the cornerstone of effective clinical evaluation.
Piśmiennictwo
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