M-mode echocardiogram of cardiomyopathy compared with normal

Normal M-modes of the minor axis of the left ventricle (LV) are taken along the line (Mp) superimposed on the anatomical diagram in panel A. Panel B is from a normal patient and panel C is from a patient with cardiomyopathy. The normal LV end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) is 5.2 cm compared with 6.3 cm in the patient with cardiomyopathy; the LV end-systolic dimensions (LVESD) are 3.4 and 5.3 cm, respectively. The fractional shortening of the normal heart (LVEDD - LVESD / LVEDD) is 35 percent) is compared with 16 percent for that of the heart with cardiomyopathy. Panels D and E are M-mode echocardiograms obtained from a level nearer to the LV base, and the beam is passed through the mitral valve. In the normal heart (panel D), the mitral valve (MV) opens widely, very near to the septum (S); in the cardiomyopathic heart, MV opening is reduced, due to a low stroke volume, and it is separated from the septum by nearly 2 cm; this separation is called E point mitral-septal separation, or EPSS.