Long-term behavior of echocardiography findings of the left ventricle following myocardial infarct

110 patients at the age of 62.5 +/- 10.7 years were echocardiographically investigated by means of M-mode and section-picture on the 6th and 27th day as well as 3 and 12 months after the infarction. In all investigations patients with anterior wall infarctions showed lower systolic thickenings of the septum, disturbances of the kinetics of the anterior wall of higher degree and up to the 3rd month a compensatorily increased systolic thickening of the posterior wall. Up to the 1st year this was replaced by an increasing hypertrophy of the posterior wall. After a posterior wall infarction the systolic thickening of the posterior wall and the disturbance of the kinetics had less clear results so that compensation mechanisms in the anterior wall were not proved.