Lead aVR in Electrocardiography: Clinical Usefulness

Abstract

Although the electrocardiogram (ECG) contains 12 leads, lead aVR is frequently neglected and the interpretation is made from the other 11 leads. However, lead aVR may contain valuable information and can influence the decision in many clinical situations. Among these situations, ischemic heart disease and rhythm-conduction disturbances are the leading ones but not limited to these abnormalities. In this paper, various situations in which lead aVR can significantly contribute to the interpretation of the ECG are reviewed.