Circulation, Vol 56, 416-423, Copyright © 1977 by American Heart Association
Serial electrocardiograms in hypertensive cardiovascular disease
RA Dunn, RJ Zenner and HV Pipberger
A graphic method for depicting serial changes in electrocardiograms is
described and demonstrated for patients being treated in an
antihypertension clinic. For these patients, the diagnostic categories,
normal, left ventricular hypertrophy, and biventricular hypertrophy, are of
primary interest. For each electrocardiogram, 14 measurements are used to
compute posterior probabilities for each of the three categories. A
triangular grid is used to plot each set of probabilities for an
electrocardiogram as one point, which by its position in the triangle can
be related to the three categories simultaneously. Points representing
successive electrocardiograms can be plotted in the same triangle, giving a
pattern of change with time. This pattern of change has been corroborated
with associated clinical information on a number of patients. This display,
which can be produced quickly and efficiently on a computer graphics
terminal, should be considered as a possible tool in evaluating the status
of individual hypertensive patients in terms of increase or decrease of
ventricular hypertrophy and the efficacy of therapeutic measures.
