The Problem of Vertical Heart

Vertical Cardiac Position

If the heart is positioned very vertically, the M-mode cursor does not intersect the left ventricle perpendicularly, resulting in an overly oblique section of the left ventricle. This, among other things, leads to overestimation of the left ventricular internal diameter. If an adequate perpendicular section cannot be obtained, it is better to perform left ventricular measurements from the 2D image rather than using M-mode.