Imaging & Radiology · Radiology · Hard

Cardiomegaly

Meaning: Enlargement of the heart visible on chest X-ray as a cardiothoracic ratio greater than 0.5.

In practice: Cardiomegaly on CXR may indicate heart failure, valve disease, or cardiomyopathy.

Word parts

  • cardio- means heart
  • -megaly means enlargement

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

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Which word means: Aggressive periosteal reaction with fine spicules of new bone radiating outward from a lesion.

Which word means: A type of radiation used to image dense structures like bone.

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