Fig. 2.

Measuring apical wall thickness.

Left: short axis slice near the base of the heart with max wall thickness of 8 mm. Middle: four chamber view. The left ventricle is divided into thirds: Basal, mid and apical, the apical cap makes up only the most apical 6% of the ventricle. At the base the short axis slice is truly perpendicular to the wall. Towards the distal ventricle — as the cavity tapers, the short axis slice is not perpendicular to the wall — this complicates wall thickness measurement and it should be performed on multiple long axis views, perpendicular to the true septal axis and with careful exclusion of papillary muscle origins and trabeculation.