Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH)
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Thickening of the muscle of your left ventricle
Expert Heart & Vascular Care
Getting the care you need starts with seeing one of our heart or vascular specialists.
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) develops in response to certain medical conditions that can cause the left ventricle (the lower left chamber of the heart responsible for pumping blood to the body) to work harder than normal. Just like other muscles in your body, when the heart muscle works harder, it gets bigger.
An enlarged heart muscle can become stiffer, making it difficult to pump with as much force as necessary. This can put you at a higher risk for heart attack or stroke.
What causes left ventricular hypertrophy?
Some conditions that can cause LVH include:
- High blood pressure, the most common cause
- Aortic valve stenosis
- Congenital heart disease
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
What are the symptoms of LVH?
As the condition progresses and the heart muscle becomes stiffer, you may experience:
- Atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat
- Chest pain
- Dizziness or fainting
- Heart failure
- Heart palpitations, the sensation that the heart rate is skipping, slowing down or racing
- Shortness of breath
Manage Your Healthcare
Make appointments, review your test results and exchange secure messages with your doctor in the myMedStar portal.
Tests
Diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy is the first step to developing a treatment plan. Your doctor may recommend one or more diagnostic and imaging procedures.
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions by guiding thin, flexible tubes called catheters through blood vessels to problem areas.
Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan
The cardiac computed tomography scan, or cardiac CT, uses X-rays to create three-dimensional images of your heart and blood vessels.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
An electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG, measures the heart’s electrical activity.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Magnetic resonance imaging, better known as cardiac MRI, is a combination of radio waves, magnets and computer technology to create images of your heart and blood vessels.
Stress Tests
Stress tests are used to assess how your heart works during physical activity. There are several types of stress tests, including treadmill or bike stress tests, nuclear stress tests, stress echocardiograms and chemically induced stress tests.
Treatments
Our heart and vascular teams work together and with other specialties to develop and implement individualized plans to treat LVH and any underlying conditions that are causing your heart to be overworked. Your treatment plan could include lifestyle modifications, medication or more advanced treatments.
Heart Surgery
Heart surgery is an option to treat many heart conditions. You may need heart surgery either as a lifesaving procedure or when other treatments haven’t worked.
Physicians
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