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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
Left ventricular mass in patients with heart failure
Marcello Ricardo Paulista Markus1, Humberto Felício Gonçalves de Freitas, Paulo Roberto Chizzola
1Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. marcellomarkus@incor.usp.br
Insights
Left ventricular mass index in heart failure patients increases with age and is higher in males. Elevated left ventricular mass is linked to reduced ejection fraction and increased risk of death.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Heart Failure Research
Background:
- Left ventricular mass is a key indicator of cardiac health.
- Understanding its variations in heart failure is crucial for prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate left ventricular mass in heart failure patients.
- To identify correlations with clinical factors and patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- M-mode echocardiography used to estimate left ventricular mass.
- Mass indexed by height in 587 heart failure patients (13.8–68.9 years).
Main Results:
- Left ventricular mass index increased with age and was higher in males.
- Higher mass noted in hypertensive and dilated cardiomyopathies.
- Increased mass correlated negatively with ejection fraction and positively with death risk (RR 1.22 per 50 g/m²).
Conclusions:
- Left ventricular mass estimation aids in prognostic assessment for heart failure.
- This metric offers valuable insights into patient outcomes.
Objective:
To assess left ventricular mass in patients with heart failure and its correlations with other clinical variables and prognosis.
Methods:
The study comprised 587 patients aged from 13.8 years to 68.9 years, 461 (78.5%) being males and 126 (21.5%) females. Left ventricular mass was estimated by using M-mode echocardiography and was indexed by height.
Results:
The left ventricular mass index ranged from 35.3 g/m to 333.5 g/m and increased with age. The left ventricular mass index was greater in males (mean, 175.7 g/m) than in females (mean, 165.7 g/m). The left ventricular mass index was greater in patients with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (mean of 188.1 g/m), with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (mean, 177.7 g/m) and with cardiomyopathies of other etiologies (mean, 175.1 g/m) than in patients with chagasic (mean, 164.3 g/m) or ischemic (mean, 162 g/m) cardiomyopathy. The left ventricular mass index in patients with heart failure showed a correlation with age, sex, etiology, and left atrial diameter. The correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction was negative: the increase in the left ventricular mass index was associated with a reduction in ejection fraction. The relative risk of death was 1.22 for each 50-g/m increase in the left ventricular mass index.
Conclusions:
The estimate of left ventricular mass may contribute to the prognostic assessment of patients with heart failure.
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