A CORRECTED ORTHOGONAL ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH IC LEAD SYSTEM FOR THE EARLY RECOGNITION OF LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY IN COMBINATION WITH MILDARTERIAL-HYPERTENSION

179 men suffering from mild arterial hypertension and 31 men with bord erline hypertension were examined - in contrast to 55 men with normal blood pressure - by conventional electrocardiography and by a correcte d orthogonal electrocardiogram according to Nelson, which made an adap tation of voltage measurements concerning the individual shape of the thorax possible, in order to recognize the left ventricular hypertroph y (LVH) at an early stage. The two-dimensional controlled M-mode echoc ardiogram was used as reference method. The conventional ECG was not s ensible for the incipient LVH, whereas the ECG according to Nelson sta rted with the evidence of bigger dipole moments at the beginning of th e second half of the QRS complex thus showing a sensibility of about 5 0% and a specificity of about 70-80%. The Nelson lead system is sugges ted for diagnosing LVH in combination with arterial hypertension at an early stage.