Can Anatomical Left Ventricular Mass Be Estimated Reliably by M‐Mode Echocardiography? A Clinicopathological Study of Ninety‐Three Patients

To evaluate the accuracy ofM‐mode echocardiography in the assessment of left ventricular mass, we compared various echocardiography‐derived regression equations for left ventricular mass to postmortem left ventricular weights in 93 patients (mean age 68 ± 11 years) who had autopsy within 30 days of technically adequate two‐dimensional guided M‐mode echocardiography and who had normal left ventricular shape. The left ventricle was enlarged in 36 patients (39%) and was involved by chronic ischemic disease in 48 patients (52%). Only a modest correlation was found between M‐mode echocardiography and anatomical left ventricular mass (range of correlation coefficients, 0.58 to 0.67). Each echocardiography formula demonstrated increasing deviations as left ventricular mass increased. A previously suggested correction formula lessened overestimation, but considerable data dispersion remained. Regional wall‐motion abnormalities, present in 22%, did not affect the correlation. We conclude that M‐mode echocardiography, performed with standard methods, does not reliably estimate anatomical left ventricular mass, especially in patients with large hearts. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 8, January 1991)