Left ventricular size and shape: determinants of mechanical signal transduction pathways

Heart failure may be viewed as a progressive disorder that is impelled, at least in part, by progressive left ventricular (LV) remodeling. In the present discussion we will review the role of LV remodeling in the pathogenesis of heart failure, with a focus on the contribution that changes in LV size and shape play in the development and progression of the progression of heart failure. The clinical implication of this review is that existing neurohormonal strategies may not completely prevent disease progression in the failing heart, and that adjunctive strategies that are designed to specifically prevent and/or attenuate LV remodeling may play an important role in the clinical treatment of heart failure.