Diagnosis of Dilated cardiomyopathy
Diagnostic Test list for Dilated cardiomyopathy:
The list of medical tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Dilated cardiomyopathy
includes:
Dilated cardiomyopathy Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Dilated cardiomyopathy:
Once symptoms appear, the condition may be tentatively diagnosed based on a
physical examination and a patient's medical history. More often, though,
further examination is needed to differentiate dilated cardiomyopathy from other
causes of heart failure.
A firm diagnosis typically requires a chest x ray to show whether the heart
is enlarged, an electrocardiogram
to reveal any abnormal electrical activity of the heart, and an echocardiogram ,
which uses sound waves to produce pictures of the heart.
Other, more specific tests may also be needed. These include:
- A radionuclide ventriculogram. This involves injecting low-dose
radioactive material (usually equal to that in a set of chest x rays) into a
vein, through which it flows to the heart. Pictures are generated by a special
camera to show how well the heart is functioning.
- A cardiac
catheterization . In this procedure, a thin plastic tube is inserted
through a blood vessel until it reaches the heart. A dye is injected and x
rays taken to assess the heart's structure and function.
(Source: excerpt from
NHLBI, Cardiomyopathy: NHLBI)
Diagnostic Tests for Dilated cardiomyopathy: Online Medical Books
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Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about diagnostis of Dilated cardiomyopathy.
Dilated cardiomyopathy:
Diagnosis
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
No single test confirms dilated cardiomyopathy. Diagnosis requires elimination of other possible causes of heart failure and arrhythmias.
❑ Electrocardiography (ECG) and angiography rule out ischemic heart disease; ECG may also show biventricular hypertrophy, sinus tachycardia, atrial enlargement and, in 20% of patients, atrial fibrillation and bundle-branch block.
❑ Chest X-ray shows cardiomegaly — usually affecting all heart chambers — and may demonstrate pulmonary congestion, pleural or pericardial effusion, or pulmonary venous hypertension.
❑ Chest computed tomography scan or echocardiography identifies left ventricular thrombi, global hypokinesia, and degree of left ventricular dilation.
❑ Nuclear heart scans, such as multiple-gated acquisition scanning and ventriculography, show heart enlargement, lung congestion, heart failure, and decreased movement or functioning of the heart.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy:
Diagnosis
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Diagnosis depends on typical clinical findings and these test results:
❑ Echocardiography (most useful) shows increased thickness of the intra-ventricular septum and abnormal motion of the anterior mitral leaflet during systole, occluding left ventricular outflow in obstructive disease.
❑ Cardiac catheterization reveals elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and, possibly, mitral insufficiency.
❑ Electrocardiography usually shows left ventricular hypertrophy, T-wave inversion, left anterior hemiblock, Q waves in precordial and inferior leads, ventricular arrhythmias and, possibly, atrial fibrillation.
❑ Auscultation confirms an early systolic murmur.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Restrictive cardiomyopathy:
Diagnosis
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
❑ In advanced stages of this disease, chest X-ray shows massive cardiomegaly, affecting all four chambers of the heart; pericardial effusion; and pulmonary congestion.
❑ Echocardiography, computed tomography scan, or magnetic resonance imaging rules out constrictive pericarditis as the cause of restricted filling by detecting increased left ventricular muscle mass and differences in end-diastolic pressures between the ventricles.
❑ Electrocardiography may show low-voltage complexes, hypertrophy, atrioventricular conduction defects, or arrhythmias.
❑ Arterial pulsation reveals blunt carotid upstroke with small volume.
❑ Cardiac catheterization shows increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and rules out constrictive pericarditis as the cause of restricted filling.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy may be difficult to differentiate from constrictive pericarditis. A biopsy of heart muscle may be used to confirm the diagnosis. A cardiac catheterization procedure can also help differentiate the type of cardiomyopathy through simultaneous left- and right-heart catheterization. In some cases, surgical exploration and biopsies are the only means to distinguish the type of cardiomyopathy or to differentiate it from pericarditis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Cardiomyopathy, dilated:
Diagnosis
(Handbook of Diseases)
❑ Echocardiography confirms the presence of dilated cardiomyopathy.
❑ Exercise thallium-201 scintigraphy may suggest underlying coronary artery disease.
❑ Electrocardiography (ECG) and angiography are used to rule out ischemic heart disease; ECG may also show biventricular hypertrophy, sinus tachycardia, atrial enlargement and, in 20% of patients, atrial fibrillation and bundle-branch heart block.
❑ Chest X-ray demonstrates cardiomegaly — usually affecting all heart chambers — and may demonstrate pulmonary congestion, pleural or pericardial effusion, or pulmonary hypertension.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic:
Diagnosis
(Handbook of Diseases)
❑ Echocardiography (most useful) shows increased thickness of the intraventricular septum and abnormal motion of the anterior mitral leaflet during systole, occluding left ventricular outflow in obstructive disease.
❑ Cardiac catheterization reveals elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and, possibly, mitral insufficiency.
❑ Electrocardiography usually demonstrates left ventricular hypertrophy, T-wave inversion, left anterior hemiblock, Q waves in precordial and inferior leads, ventricular arrhythmias and, possibly, atrial fibrillation.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Cardiomyopathy, restrictive:
Diagnosis
(Handbook of Diseases)
❑ Chest X-ray shows massive cardiomegaly in advanced stages of this disease, affecting all four chambers of the heart; pericardial effusion; and pulmonary congestion.
❑ Echocardiography is used to rule out constrictive pericarditis as the cause of restricted filling by detecting increased left ventricular muscle mass and differences in end-diastolic pressures between the ventricles.
❑ Electrocardiography may show low-voltage complexes, hypertrophy, atrioventricular conduction defects, or arrhythmias.
❑ Arterial pulsation reveals blunt carotid upstroke with small volume.
❑ Cardiac catheterization demonstrates increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and rules out constrictive pericarditis as the cause of restricted filling.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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