[Cardiac remodeling in chronic heart failure].

Left ventricular remodeling plays an important role in the progression of chronic heart failure. The early remodeling is an adaptive response to the increased load(i.e. hypertension) and/or the loss of contractile component (i. e. myocardial infarction) in order to maintain the pumping capacity. This process includes cardiac hypertrophy associated with myocyte hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis. However, the persistence of the inadequate overload results in the decompensation of the adaptive mechanism. Finally, left ventricle is enlarged and the systolic function is impaired.