please explain echo cardiogram result

The left ventricular cavity is dilated, with thickened interventricular septum. There is good wall motion and contractility of all myocardial segments execept for the anterior interventricular septum which is mildly hypokinetic from base to mid segment.
Normal left atrium, right atrium, right ventricle, main pulmonary artery and aortic root dimensions.
The aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonic valves are structurally normal.
No intracardial mass nor pericardial effusion noted.

please diagnose this....

doctor says LV is enlarged LV 5.7 normal is 4.5-5.0

[ed34]

Are you an athlete? play lots of sports? very fit?

[kenkeith]

Hypokinesis is not etiologically related to an athletes' heart.  Hypokinesis indicates an impairment of the wall movement usually due to heart cell damage (anterior interventricular septum....wall that separates right and left ventricle.)  My records show left ventricle (diastolic...filling phase) range is 3.5 to 5.7 cm, and I believe that is the correct range.

If there is some heart cell damage (and very little recorded) it could be due to ischemia (lack of sufficient blood flow) due to a coronary lesion, and the cells can be revitalized with adequate blood supply.  Or it may be of very little significance and your heart will function adequately.  Some concern your LV is at the upper range, and maybe your doctor has an opinion.  Also, keep in mind the LV normally dilates from heartbeat to heartbeat to increase contractions (compensates as does heart rate, etc. to maintain a balance between the heart's right and left side).  You should have your ejection fraction (EF...% of blood pumped with each heartbeat...normal is 55 to 75%).

[ed34]

yes i realise that but in cardiac rehab we had an athlete who had suffered a silent heart
attack. To understand a problem in most cases, it's best to gather all the relevent information before concluding.

[kenkeith]

It's not difficult to determine if one has a well-conditioned heart such as an athlete. Almost anyone would know when they were in that condtion, ie. the heart is so efficient it beats below 60 bpm at rest, very energetic, etc.  Also, I believe it is the heart wall muscle that is enlarged (stronger contractions) in an athletes' heart as a result of increased exercise, not the septum ...

In pathology the thickening of the heart muscle from overwork as in hypertension (high blood pressure), is the result of hypertrophy.  A strong heart that has increased contractional force is not pathological, and the heart will reverse remodeling over time when the exercise routine subsides.  

An enlarged heart wall does/can cause abnormal heart rhythms, and the abherrant electrical impulses can cause cardiac arrest, and sometimes an athlete has a heart attack.

[rw0rx]

Tnx Kenkeith

[rw0rx]

i am 33 yrs old,192 lbs, used to smoke and drink.. im into sports sometimes , EF is 68%..im really greatful for your response thank you

[rw0rx]

by the way i always experience or think that i'm going to have a heart attack or couldn't breathe, is this normal? or am i having lots of panic attacks? i was rushed to the hospital because of tightness in chest and difficulty breathing after an hour everything is normal,  no signs of heart attack, chest was considered normal, i think a lot about this ever since.

[ed34]

Next time you have a panic attack immediately sit down, relax, take slow deep breaths and relax every muscle in the body. Don't let your mind wonder into possible medical conditions, just think of your breathing.