Age dependency of the tonal properties of left ventricular myocardium in normal subjects assessed by the gray level histogram of 2D echocardiograms

Quantitative analysis of two dimensional echocardiographic images by the assessment of the gray level distribution can provide objective information on the underlying structures. Since the process of aging at myocardial level is characterized by increase in collagen content and myocellular hypertrophy, this study was aimed to assess whether age affects the tonal properties of LV myocardium in a normal population. A significant positive relation was found between age and mean and age and entropy; a negative relation was observed for age and uniformity. Thus, the tonal properties of the myocardium assessed on conventional 2D echocardiograms change with age, being characterized by an increased overall brightness and a progressive lack of homogeneity, possibly ascribed to the normal histologic changes which occur with age.