A new method for indexing left ventricular mass for differences in body size

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biometrics
• Clinical Measurement

Background:

• Left ventricular (LV) mass is significantly influenced by body size, leading to challenges in establishing standardized normal values.
• Current methods like indexing for body surface area (BSA) or height have limitations in accurately representing LV mass across diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel method for indexing LV mass using height raised to a noninteger power.
• To assess the effectiveness of this new method in reducing gender-specific variations and improving the clinical definition of LV mass.

Main Methods:

• Logarithmic regression models were used to determine optimal height exponents for LV mass indexation in men and women.
• The study analyzed a cohort of 387 men and 714 women aged 20-45, free from cardiovascular disease.

Main Results:

• The optimal height exponents were found to be 2.12 for men, 1.91 for women, and 1.97 for a pooled analysis.
• This noninteger height indexation significantly reduced gender-based differences in mean LV mass (from 52% to 29%) and 95th percentile values.
• The method showed a slight increase in correlation with systolic blood pressure compared to BSA indexation, while BSA indexation reduced the association with obesity.

Conclusions:

• Indexing LV mass by height raised to a noninteger power is a promising approach to normalize for body size and reduce gender disparities.
• This method may offer a more robust tool for defining normal and abnormal LV mass in clinical practice.
• The findings suggest that traditional BSA indexation for LV mass may be inappropriate due to its association with obesity.