Left ventricular mass and hypertrophy by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Left ventricular mass (LVM) and hypertrophy (LVH) are important parameters, but their use is surrounded by controversies. We compare LVM by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), investigating reproducibility aspects and the effect of echocardiography image quality. We also compare indexing methods within and between imaging modalities for classification of LVH and cardiovascular risk.


METHODS
Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis enrolled 880 participants in Baltimore city, 146 had echocardiograms and CMR on the same day. LVM was then assessed using standard techniques. Echocardiography image quality was rated (good/limited) according to the parasternal view. LVH was defined after indexing LVM to body surface area, height(1.7) , height(2.7) , or by the predicted LVM from a reference group. Participants were classified for cardiovascular risk according to Framingham score. Pearson's correlation, Bland-Altman plots, percent agreement, and kappa coefficient assessed agreement within and between modalities.


RESULTS
Left ventricular mass by echocardiography (140 ± 40 g) and by CMR were correlated (r = 0.8, P < 0.001) regardless of the echocardiography image quality. The reproducibility profile had strong correlations and agreement for both modalities. Image quality groups had similar characteristics; those with good images compared to CMR slightly superiorly. The prevalence of LVH tended to be higher with higher cardiovascular risk. The agreement for LVH between imaging modalities ranged from 77% to 98% and the kappa coefficient from 0.10 to 0.76.


CONCLUSIONS
Echocardiography has a reliable performance for LVM assessment and classification of LVH, with limited influence of image quality. Echocardiography and CMR differ in the assessment of LVH, and additional differences rise from the indexing methods.
Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; School of Medicine, University of São Francisco Valley, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Anderson C
AC
Armstrong
Ola
O
Gjesdal
André
A
Almeida
Marcelo
M
Nacif
Colin
C
Wu
David A
DA
Bluemke
Lyndia
L
Brumback
João A C
JA
Lima
D000368:Aged; D015142:Baltimore / Q000208:ethnology; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009929:Organ Size; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
echocardiography; image quality; left ventricular hypertrophy; left ventricular mass