Cardiomyopathy is a broad term for diseases of the heart muscle that affect its size, shape, and ability to function. The three main types are dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart enlarges and weakens; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick; and restrictive cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle becomes stiff and cannot relax properly. Echocardiography is the primary tool for diagnosing and classifying cardiomyopathies because it can visualize the structure of the heart, measure wall thickness and chamber dimensions, and assess pumping function in real time. Each type of cardiomyopathy has characteristic echocardiographic findings that help guide diagnosis and treatment.
Sonography Term