Differential Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

The echocardiographic report of left ventricular hypertrophy implicates a variety of clinical important diagnoses in everyday practice. Most common left ventricular hypertrophy is reported from routine echocardiography, however for the clinician the cause of left ventricular wall thickening is of paramount importance to plan further diagnostic and treatment. This review has its focus on physiologic and pathophysiologic causes of left ventricular hypertrophy. Physiologic cause of hypertrophy is reported from athletes and is summarized as Athlete's heart, pathologic causes of left ventricular wall thickening are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis or edema of the myocardium.