EchoBridge Pearl #26: Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Left Atrial Enlargement Suggest Diastolic Dysfunction
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and left atrial (LA) enlargement are important echocardiographic clues to chronic diastolic dysfunction.
As the LV becomes stiffer and less compliant, LV filling pressures gradually increase, leading to chronically elevated LA pressure and progressive LA remodeling.
Although neither finding is diagnostic on its own, the combination of LVH and LA enlargement should raise suspicion for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in patients presenting with dyspnea.
📖 Nagueh SF, Smiseth OA, Appleton CP, et al. Recommendations for the Evaluation of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function by Echocardiography: An Update from the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2016.
🔗 Free subscription — receive future EchoBridgeMD educational content by email: https://www.echobridgemd.com/blog
Comments