[Magnito-, electro- and echocardiography in detecting symptoms of the "hypertensive heart"]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Arterial hypertension (AH) can lead to cardiac structural changes, collectively termed "hypertensive heart".
• Early and accurate diagnosis of these cardiac changes is crucial for managing AH and preventing complications.
• Non-invasive diagnostic tools play a vital role in assessing cardiac status in hypertensive individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic capabilities of magnetocardiography (MCG), electrocardiography (ECG), and echocardiography (echo-CG) in patients with arterial hypertension.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of MCG in identifying cardiac abnormalities associated with AH, specifically left ventricular and left atrial hypertrophy.
• To determine the utility of MCG in diagnosing "hypertensive heart".

Main Methods:

• The study involved 18 patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension and 32 healthy male controls.
• Diagnostic assessments included magnetocardiography (MCG), electrocardiography (ECG), and echocardiography (echo-CG).
• Morphological analysis of MCG elements was performed at 36 precordial lead points in normal subjects.

Main Results:

• Left ventricular hypertrophy was detected in 61% of AH patients by echo-CG, 84% by MCG, and 34% by ECG.
• Left atrial hypertrophy was primarily identified using echo-CG and MCG.
• Defects in ventricular repolarization were observed in 39% of AH patients via MCG, correlating with signs of left ventricular hypertrophy.

Conclusions:

• Magnetocardiography (MCG) demonstrates superior sensitivity in detecting left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with arterial hypertension compared to ECG and echo-CG.
• MCG effectively identifies left atrial hypertrophy and ventricular repolarization defects in the context of AH.
• MCG is recommended as a valuable and effective tool for the diagnosis of "hypertensive heart".