Modern Diagnostic Approach for the Assessment of Cardiac Damage in Hypertension: 3D, CT and MRI

Hypertension (HTN) is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and is associated with alterations in cardiac structure and function such as left ventricular hypertrophy as well as alterations in left ventricular filling and relaxation. Echocardiography represents the gold standard in the assessment of cardiac function and structure. Three-dimensional echocardiography (3D) is a novel technique that permits accurate and reproducible assessment of left ventricular mass and left ventricular volumes in comparison to the gold standard technique—CMR. Further studies are necessary for the implementation of 3D echocardiography in the evaluation of left atrial structure and function and left ventricular diastolic function. Additionally, cardiac computed tomography (CT) is not currently a first-line exam in the evaluation of hypertensive patients. Although the indications of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) have been greatly broadened, nowadays CMR is not among the first diagnostic procedures followed in patients with systemic hypertension.