Introduction:

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a useful initial tool for the detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) despite its low sensitivity. However, there are no data in Colombian population on the behavior of the different electrocardiographic criteria.

Materials and method:

A cross-sectional study was carried out in two specialized cardiology centers in Medellín since 2011, where ECGs of 51 patients who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Six criteria were calculated, including the Peguero-Lo Presti, while LVH was defined based on two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography and M mode.

Results:

18 patients with electrocardiographic criteria of LVH and confirmed with echocardiography were analyzed and were compared with 33 controls. LVH was found more frequently in older age, arterial hypertension (HTN) and chronic kidney disease. ROC curves were made determining that the best criteria for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of LVH identified by echocardiography is the Peguero-Lo Presti criteria (ROC: 0.81). The specificities of all the criteria were 81-93%, with no significant differences between them.

Conclusion:

The electrocardiographic criteria with the best diagnostic performance to identify LVH diagnosed by echocardiography is the Peguero-Lo Presti criteria, compared to the traditional criteria used in the evaluated population.

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