Vecto-echocardiographic correlations in type B right ventricular hypertrophy.

The correlation between the right posterior surface of the QRS complex in the horizontal plane and the various parameters characterizing the right ventricle on TM and 2D echocardiography on left parasternal longitudinal sections and subcostal sections was investigated by the chi-square independence test and Student's t test in 185 cases of heart disease due to various aetiologies. The right posterior surface (Octant III) of the QRS complex in the horizontal plane is independent of the diastolic thickness of the right ventricular posterior wall (RVPW); the diastolic thickness of the right ventricular anterior wall (RVAW); the right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF); the systolic diameter and diastolic diameter of the right ventricle; the percentage thickening of the RVPW and the RVAW; and, finally, there is no significant relationship between the diastolic thickness of the RVPW and that of the RVAW. Its variance according to the presence or absence and the nature of an associated conduction disorder (RBBB, RIBBB, RBBB + LAHB, LAHB, LBBB, LIBBB or Kent) was not significant for a risk of error of 5% and 1%. The right posterior surface (Octant III) of the QRS complex in the horizontal plane is significantly correlated with the right ventricular mass (RVM), calculated from the diastolic thickness of the right ventricular posterior wall (RVPW) : alpha < 0.001; according to a simplified formula : RVM g/m(2) = (RVDD + 2 RVPW)(3). The correlation between these last two quantitative parameters is borderline significant r = 0.11 t = 1.25, 0.20 < alpha < 0.30 according to a linear regression equation: y = 55.15 - 34.71 x; P-o = 549 t = 1.48, increasing from 0 to 0.137 and decreasing beyong 0.137, linearity hypothesis: admissible, p = 0.04.