Correlation between left ventricular wall thickness and QRS voltages in Nigerians

ECG voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy are based on the assumption that a thicker ventricle generates higher QRS voltages. In order to test this assertion, a study of the correlation between echocardiographically determined left ventricular wall thickness and ECG QRS voltages was carried out in 89 subjects, consisting of 35 hypertensives, 20 patients with mitral/aortic valve incompetence, and 34 controls. The results show that there was no statistically significant correlation between QRS voltages and left ventricular wall thickness. This shows that a thicker ventricle does not necessarily generate higher QRS voltages on the electrocardiogram. This may explain the already documented less than satisfactory degree of accuracy of the various ECG voltage criteria for the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy.