Right ventricular hypertrophy radiology, an abnormal enlargement condition that happens in the muscles of the right ventricle because of extreme pressure, like severe lung disease. In simpler words when there is too much pressure on the heart let’s say from lung infection disease, then the inner muscle mass of the heart gets abnormally large and exerts a force on the heart. Why in the right ventricle? The reason behind this is, the right ventricle pumps blood into the lungs for oxygen supply and if the lungs have a severe infection then this will cause more and more pressure on the right side of the heart.
Various health conditions can cause right ventricular hypertrophy, like – Heart failure
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Tricuspid valve regurgitation
Tetralogy of Fallot
Other less common illnesses that cause right ventricular hypertrophy are high altitude, left
to right shunt, septal defect, anomalous pulmonary venous return, stenosis of the pulmonic
valve, hyperthyroidism, cardiac fibrosis, and athlete heart syndrome.
Right, Ventricular hypertrophy has certain symptoms that a patient should keep an eye for,
these symptoms are –
Chest pain
Dizziness
Fainting
Shortness of breath
Swelling in lower extremities like the legs, ankles, or feet
Patients who potentially have right ventricular hypertrophy are diagnosed through scans, doctors use imaging techniques like Chest radiography, which shows if the heart is larger than usual. An electrocardiogram helps show if the heart is conducting the electrical heartbeats just right. In the case of an enlarged heart, conducting electrical impulses becomes difficult. While performing ECGs on patients the R waves produced in the right precordial leads are tall and the S waves produced in the left precordial leads are deep. If the R:S ratio is the right precordial lead is greater than 1 then it means that the patient has right ventricular hypertrophy. Next, an Echocardiogram, the main diagnosis tool where the doctor sees through ultrasound if the chambers and valves are of the right size or not. The report that is produced is evaluated both on qualitative and quantitative parameters helping check the severity of the condition.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance, cardiac catheterization and Angiography, Right Heart Catheterization, Pulmonary function tests, Overnight Oximetry, polysomnography, exercise testing, and Ventilation-Perfusion Scanning are some of the other tests that doctors and other medical professionals use to check for Right Ventricular Hypertrophy condition. Along with these tests, it is also important to check if the patient has any history of heart diseases, eating salty foods, smoking, overweight, and excess alcohol consumption. Based on the patient’s history, the imaging results, and any other underlying health issue medicines, diet changes, surgery, or combination of all can help control the condition.
To conclude the above said, Right Ventricular Hypertrophy if left undiagnosed, can cause fatal issues like heart attack and may even cause other health issues. To diagnose the disease it is vital to know how to perform all the scanning techniques and tools. Conducting echocardiogram, electrocardiogram and other imaging techniques require courses and years of experience. Refer to Onelearninghealthcare.com to check out the courses that are offered in imaging and get your certificate and advance your career.
