Is echocardiography an adequate method to evaluate left ventricular hypertrophy regression?

M mode echocardiography is certainly an adequate method to evaluate left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) regression in hypertensive patients, provided that some important conditions are fulfilled. Left ventricular mass assessment can be made only with non-distorted ventricles, as usually encountered in non-complicated hypertensive patients. The main problem is to limit all sources of variability for serial measurements and all sources of subjectivity in their interpretation. So, we propose some guidelines that should be useful when designing and completing such studies. Two-dimensional echocardiography offers the potential advantage of allowing assessment of left ventricular mass even when the left ventricle is far from its usual shape. However, a standardization of methods and studies of its reproducibility are still required before this method could be recommended in studies of LVH regression.