BACKGROUND Left ventricular (LV) mass is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with systemic hypertension. However, the accuracy of 2D echocardiographic LV mass measurements is limited because acquiring anatomically correct apical views is often difficult. We tested the hypothesis that LV mass could be measured more accurately from real-time 3D (RT3D) data se...

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to assess coronary flow reserve (CFR) before and after aortic valve replacement (AVR). BACKGROUND Coronary flow reserve is impaired under conditions of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. It is not known whether CFR improves with regression of LV hypertrophy in humans. METHODS We investigated 35 patients with pure aortic stenosis, LV hypertrophy and norm...

BACKGROUND It is uncertain whether reduction of left ventricular (LV) mass during antihypertensive treatment predicts reduces cardiovascular complications of hypertension. METHODS A total of 172 prospectively identified patients with essential hypertension without complications of hypertension at baseline and follow-up echocardiograms 5.5 +/- 3.0 years apart, were followed an additional 4.8 +...

Normal left ventricular (LV) mass and geometry is required for optimal LV functioning. Abnormalities in either result in increased morbidity and mortality. The adducing 1 (alpha) gene (ADD1) Gly460Trp polymorphism has been associated with high blood pressure and increased plasma volume, both predictors of LV mass and function. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluate the association between t...

UNLABELLED This retrospective analysis of existing patient data had institutional review board approval and was performed in compliance with HIPAA. No informed consent was required. The purpose of the study was to develop and validate an algorithm for automated segmentation of the left ventricular (LV) cavity that accounts for papillary and/or trabecular muscles and partial voxels in cine magne...

BACKGROUND Obesity in adults is associated with increased left ventricular (LV) mass. The mechanism for this is unclear, however. We tested the hypothesis that insulin resistance is an important independent contributing factor to LV mass in the healthy obese population. METHODS AND RESULTS The study population consisted of 40 normotensive, nondiabetic, otherwise healthy obese subjects with bo...

BACKGROUND We examined the relationships of left ventricular (LV) contractile state with LV geometry and hypertrophy in patients with aortic valve disease, and investigated the reversibility of LV hypertrophy and contractility following aortic valve replacement. METHODS Preoperative data from quantitative cineangiography and pressure measurements in 132 patients with chronic aortic valve dise...

BACKGROUND Our objectives were to identify correlates of mortality and congestive heart failure after aortic valve replacement (AVR) according to preoperative left ventricular (LV) function and to describe the incidence, time course, and correlates of LV recovery and mass regression postoperatively. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 3112 patients with AVR were assessed in a follow-up clinic with...

BACKGROUND Reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction increases the risk of ventricular arrhythmias; however, LV ejection fraction has a low sensitivity to predict ventricular arrhythmias. LV dilatation and mass may be useful to further risk-stratify for ventricular arrhythmias. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients from the Genetic Risk of Assessment of Defibrillator Events (GRADE) study (N=930)...

OBJECTIVE Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT), a regional fat depot adjacent to the myocardium, may mediate the complex relation between obesity and cardiac left ventricular (LV) abnormalities. We sought to evaluate the association of PAT with echocardiographic measures of LV abnormalities in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 1,414 African Americans (35% men; ...