[Echocardiographic changes in 91 patients with acromegaly].

Echocardiography was performed in 91 patients with acromegaly. Left ventricular internal diameter, wall thickness and left ventricular mass were measured and calculated. 76 patients with active acromegaly (GH greater than 5 ng/ml) were analysed. The result revealed that the incidence of acromegalic cardiomyopathy was 85.5% and the left ventricular mass of active acromegaly was 339.1 +/- 85.6 g and 188.8 +/- 46.7 g/m2. Most of them had left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) or/and left ventricular dilation. Right ventricular hypertrophy was rarely detected. Most of LVH were symmetric and about a quarter of the patients with LVH was asymmetric (septum was thicker than LV posterior wall). LV mass in the active acromegaly group was larger than that in the normal group and the inactive acromegaly group. These indicate that acromegalic cardiomyopathy is related to growth hormone.