What does cardiomegaly mean?
Cardiomegaly is the medical term for an abnormally enlarged heart. It is most often encountered as an imaging finding, particularly on a chest X-ray, where the cardiac silhouette appears larger than expected, or on echocardiography, which can help assess the heart's chambers and valves. The condition may result from chamber enlargement or dilation and can accompany high blood pressure, valve disease, congenital heart defects, or weakened heart muscle. Cardiomegaly is therefore a descriptive finding rather than a single disease: clinicians must determine the underlying cause. In writing, the word is formal and technical, belonging mainly to medicine and radiology. It should not be confused with cardiomyopathy, which names a disorder of heart muscle, or cardiac hypertrophy, which specifically refers to thickening of the heart muscle. Understanding the distinction helps readers interpret medical reports and explanations of cardiovascular disease.
nounAn abnormal enlargement of the heart. The term is used especially for an enlarged cardiac silhouette observed on a chest X-ray or confirmed by other cardiac imaging.
- An abnormal enlargement of the heart, commonly identified as an imaging finding.
"The chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly, prompting further evaluation of the patient's heart."
"Echocardiography revealed moderate cardiomegaly and dilation of the left ventricle."
"The physician explained that the radiograph showed cardiomegaly but that further testing was needed to identify the cause."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon; the term is normally used in the singular or as a mass noun.
"Radiologists recorded cardiomegalies ranging from mild to severe."
On a chest X-ray, cardiomegaly literally means that the heart's silhouette looks too large.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cardiomegaly come from?
Cardiomegaly combines the Greek-derived combining form cardio-, from kardia meaning “heart,” with -megaly, derived from Greek megas or megalos meaning “large” or “great.” The resulting medical term literally refers to enlargement of the heart and has cognates in related terms such as cardiac and cardiology, while -megaly also appears in acromegaly and hepatomegaly.
How cardiomegaly is actually used
This is a formal medical and radiological term. It is usually singular in clinical descriptions and often denotes a finding for which clinicians must determine an underlying cause.
Easily confused with cardiomegaly
Cardiomegaly describes an enlarged heart, whereas cardiomyopathy denotes a disease or disorder of the heart muscle.
Cardiomegaly refers generally to enlargement of the heart, while cardiac hypertrophy specifically describes thickening of the heart muscle.