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Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Question Title: chest x-ray pa and lateralForum: The Heart Forum
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Hi, On a chest x-ray (pa and lateral) radiology report that I had says the following "The overall cardac silhouette is within normal limits,though there is mild prominence of the left ventricle.Pulmonary vascularity is normal.The thoracic aorta is unremarkable. Lungs clear. Code I".When I asked my cardiologist what mild prominence of the left ventricle means, he said "that's for doctors".When I asked my family doctor what mild prominence of left ventricle means, he said that it is nothing to worry about. What does mild prominence of left ventricle means? Does it mean some kind of lesion or infection on left ventricle?Thank you.Jerry
Mild prominence of the left ventricle means that the x-ray suggests that there is a minor degree of enlargement of the heart's main pumping chamber. A chest x-ray is not a great test to make this determination. An echocardiogram is much more useful for this purpose. If you do in fact have heart enlargement, there are several causes, including hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and valvular heart disease. I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back. Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
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