Dilated left ventricle w/ generalized severe hypokinesia

[Len168]

I got the results of my stress echo and here are the findings: dilated left ventricle with generalized severe hypokinesia consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy with decreased systolic function. Visual estimate of EF is 25-30%. Slightly dilated left atrium, thickened aortic valve, thickened mitral valve with trivial to mild mitral regugitation, structurally normal tricuspid value with mid tricuspid regurgitation, structurally normal pulmonic valve with pulmonic regurgitation, normal pulmonary artery pressure, no new wall motion abnormality and no stress induced ischemia demonstrated on treadmill exercise echo at 10 METS. Persistent hypokinesia of the mid to apical segments is consistent with non ischemic cardiomyopathy.

With these results, is there a possibility that I can have heart failure? Should I be concerned about this?

[grendslori]

These findings would be consistent with heart failure which is a chronic form of heart disease. Normal EF is usually between 50-70%. Hypokinesia is the name given when the heart muscle cannot pump the way it should due to being to thin such as in CHF or too thick such as in HCM, RCM (Hypertrophic crdiomyopathy or Restrictive Cardiomyopathy) See a good cardiologist if you are not yet doing that.

[kenkeith]

Hypokenisis is an impairment of heart wall movement.  Almost always the condition is due to damaged heart cells from a prior heart attack...non-ischemic indicates the impairment is not due to lack of oxygenated blood flow to the area described and confirmed by the stress test of no induced ischemia.

Dilated left ventricle will decrease and of course the hypokenises will reduce your EF...10 METs is not relatively very serious, and shouldn't interfere with normal activity.  Heart failure is a EF below 30%, and some individuals function very well and don't realize there is a heart problem (estimated to be 26% of heart disorder population).  Sometimes medication can increase the EF by reducing the heart's workload (lower blood pressure, reduce fluid volume, etc.).  Five years ago, I had an enlarged LV and an EF of 13 to 29%, and with medication my heart size is normal as well as the EF.  I had hypokinesis, and restoration of blood flow (stent and medication) revitalized dormant (medically termed hibernating) heart cells.

ongested heart failure (chf) is not due to a thin wall.  A thin wall would be an aneurysm,  CHF is the result of poor heart contractions and the underlying cause can be a dilated left ventricle (not thin wall) and the pathology of poor contractility of the LV is due to the Frank/Starling phenomonon related to physics of the heart anatomy.  This condition (dilated LV) can with medication reverse the remodeling (enlarged LV)...a thin wall may require a patch, etc.