How is LVH measured?
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH) is most commonly measured by assessing the thickness of the left ventricular wall.
According to the provided reference, the most commonly used method to define and quantify LVH is the measurement of the LV wall-thickness from an end-diastolic cine image in the short-axis plane.
This measurement essentially determines how thick the muscular wall of the heart's main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) has become. The thickness is measured at a specific point in the cardiac cycle (end-diastole, when the chamber is relaxed and filled with blood) and in a specific view (short-axis plane, like looking at a slice through the heart).
Classifying LVH Severity
Once the measurement is taken, the severity of LVH can be classified based on the wall thickness, using the following ranges provided in the reference:
| Severity | LV Wall Thickness (mm) |
|---|---|
| Normal | < 11 |
| Mild | 11–13 |
| Moderate | 14–15 |
| Severe | > 15 |
Therefore, the LV wall thickness measured using this specific imaging technique and view is the key parameter used to quantify and categorize LVH.
