ABSTRACT
During the last 30 years, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), defined as an abnormal increase in the left ventricular mass (LVM), detected either by an electrocardiogram (ECG) or by the more sensitive echocardiographic technique, has been recognized as an important and independent risk factor in hypertension for predicting several cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure (CHF), sudden cardiac death, and stroke. Classification into concentric or eccentric (nondilated) hypertrophy and concentric remodeling, by using the echocardiographic measured left ventricle (LV) wall to radius ratio (values 0.42 define concentric patterns), has been shown also to have risk-predicting value, concentric geometry being related to more evident vascular alterations and worse prognosis.
