cardiomegaly is an enlarged heart. in most cases enlargement of the heart occurs over an extended period of time (weeks or more often years) due to an injury to the heart. the heart responds to the injury by remodeling itself in a way that lets it continue to do its job of pumping blood. this sometimes results in a stretching of the heart muscle. the condition may also be called dilated cardiomyopathy. the most common causes of cardiomegaly are: high blood pressure that’s inadequately treated for a long time coronary artery disease or heart attacks alcohol abuse viral myocarditis (heart infection by a virus) postpartum cardiomyopathy (unexplained heart enlargement after delivering a baby) in many cases no cause can be identified which is called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. the heart may also only appear enlarged on a chest x-ray (the traditional way doctors have diagnosed cardiomegaly). an abnormal amount of fluid around a normal-sized heart (pericardial effusion) will deceptively enlarge the heart’s shadow on a chest x-ray film. an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) is usually recommended for people with an enlarged heart. an echocardiogram can tell the difference between a pericardial effusion and true cardiomegaly and can provide additional information about the heart’s shape and function.
what is cardiomegaly?