The Different Faces of Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: Clues to the Etiology

Left ventricular hypertrophy is a nonspecific physiologic or maladaptive cardiac response to a large array of stimuli mediated by exercise and numerous cardiac and systemic diseases. Hypertrophy, however, is not uniform. Rather, depending on the underlying pathologic mechanism, it may display unique morphologic and functional characteristics. The precise characterization and quantification of left ventricular hypertrophy may therefore allow a more timely diagnosis of the underlying condition. The clinical reference standard to assess left ventricular hypertrophy is echocardiography, but a comprehensive description of how to approach this frequent finding in clinical practice is lacking. The current review systematically describes the typical echocardiographic patterns of important types of cardiac hypertrophy using both established and advanced imaging modalities, thus guiding clinicians' path to early diagnosis.