title: [Echocardiography of left ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are at increased risk of cardiovascular complications and the current guidelines recommend echocardiography for determination of left ventricular mass.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the suitability of repeated measurements to determine the left ventricular mass (LVM) in 30 patients with previously untreated essential hypertension before and after one year of antihypertensive treatment. Fourteen normotensive healthy persons served as controls. Six M-mode echocardiographic measurements (transducer was turned off and on again each time) were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The probability of misclassifying a person with LVH (> 130 g/m(2)) as having normal LVM or vice versa was calculated as a function of the number of measurements. The probability was high for single measurements, but was substantially reduced by performing six repeated measurements. Thus, the risk of misclassification was reduced from 20% to 6% in persons with LVM of 120 g/m(2) or 140 g/m(2) and from 13% to 1% in persons with LVM of 115 or 145 g/m(2). However, for persons whose LVM were close to 130 g/m(2), the probability for misclassifications remained high 20% despite repeated measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even though averaged LVM measurements within groups demonstrate clear results, considerable intraindividual variation remains, and in daily clinical practice repeated measurements of LVM are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Medicinsk-kardiologisk Afdeling A, Arhus Sygehus, Arhus Universitetshospital, DK-8000 Arhus C, Denmark. klc@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Kent Lodberg
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fenger-Grøn
authors.forename: Niels Henrik
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Buus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001262:Atenolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020913:Perindopril / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001262:Atenolol; D020913:Perindopril