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Study Presented at AHA shows Electrocardiograph Errors Frequent in Diagnosing Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

A diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy identified with an electrocardiograph (ECG) is often wrong or inconclusive, often leading to a repeat, confirmatory test, researchers stated here at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009.

The electrical measurements on an ECG can often mislead physicians in diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy, causing other screening tests to be ordered before a definitive conclusion can be made.

The study found a false-positive reading in 77% to 82% of patients screened by ECG and a false-negative reading in 6% to 7% of the same patient population.

The researchers reviewed data collected from 353 consecutive patients who underwent coronary computed tomography ( CT ) angiography for various clinical reasons.

However, if the ECG reading indicates left ventricular hypertrophy is present then the patient needs further testing, either with CT, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ), or ultrasound to confirm the finding, according to Dr. Sinno.

He suggested that cardiac CT has emerged as the gold standard because of technical difficulties in interpreting ultrasound and the expense of MRI when compared with CT.

Source: AHA

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