Two-dimensional echocardiography for determination of left ventricular mass.

Two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography is an effective method for determination of left ventricular (LV) mass in patients with normal or abnormal LV geometry. Two geometric approaches have been validated and are recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography: an area-length approach and a truncated ellipsoid geometry. Both rely on short-axis imaging for determining myocardial cross-sectional area. Whereas M-mode LV mass has been widely used in hypertension, where LV geometry is usually normal, 2-D echocardiography LV mass has been applied less widely. Recent developments in echocardiography will further enhance the utility of these methods, including three-dimensional uses of 2-D echocardiographic data, automatic edge detection, and multiplanar transesophageal imaging.