Hypertrophy of a right ventricle

Hypertrophy of a right ventricle – the morbid condition connected with increase in a myocardium which can lead to development of serious diseases.

Change of the size of a right ventricle of heart is connected more with growth of cardiomyocytes (specialized cordial cells) and is combined with various cardiovascular diseases.

Reasons of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle

Inborn defect or mitral stenosis of heart can be the cause of increase in the size of a right ventricle. Most often the hypertrophy of a right ventricle is observed:

• At children against the background of various inborn heart diseases;
• At adults against the background of valve heart diseases and diseases of lungs which are complicated by disturbances from heart.

Depending on weight of a disease and features of its development various configurations of a disease can be observed. Distinguish from the main reasons for a hypertrophy of a right ventricle:

• Pulmonary hypertensia which causes increase in pulmonary pressure. It is the reason of an asthma, dizziness and faint;
• Tetrad of Fallo which is observed at children since the birth and can proceed for the first year of life of the child. This inborn heart disease causing a syndrome of the blue baby is characterized by disturbance of outflow of blood from a right ventricle;
• Stenosis of the pulmonary valve at which disturbance of a blood flow from a right ventricle in an artery is observed;
• Defect of an interventricular partition because of what there is mixing of blood of two departments. It causes a lack of oxygen that leads to strengthening of work of all departments of heart, including a right ventricle.

Distinguish from pulmonary diseases which can lead to development of this pathology:

• Fibrosis and emphysema of lungs;
• Chronic bronchitis and pneumonia;
• Pneumosclerosis;
• Bronchial asthma.

Signs of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle

The hypertrophy of a right ventricle is rather rare pathology of heart. Besides, it is extremely difficult to reveal signs of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle on the electrocardiogram as the mass of a right ventricle about three times less than the weight left whose electric activity prevails.

Signs of increase in the size of a right ventricle can be found only at significant increase in its weight. Proceeding from it, allocate the following types of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle:

• Sharply expressed hypertrophy at which the right ventricle considerably exceeds the mass of left;
• Average hypertrophy at which against the background of increase in the size of a right ventricle in it slower course of processes of excitement in comparison with a left ventricle is registered;
• Moderate hypertrophy at which insignificant increase in the size of a right ventricle is observed.

The initial stages of development of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle have the greased symptomatology, and in some cases symptoms are practically absent. However in process of development of the pathology which is followed by stable increase in the size of a right ventricle the following symptoms appear:

• The complicated breath which is combined with weight in a breast and a pain syndrome;
• Sudden attacks of dizziness which the loss of consciousness can accompany;
• Disturbance of a cordial rhythm which can be described as "heart trembles in a breast" or feeling that several blows are missed;
• The expressed hypostases of legs.

Treatment of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle

Against the background of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle therapy should be directed first of all on the reason causing it namely:

• On elimination of a stenosis of the pulmonary valve;
• On normalization of work of lungs;
• On treatment of heart diseases.

Besides, treatment of a hypertrophy of a right ventricle has to include also the symptomatic therapy directed to normalization of arterial pressure and pulse, maintenance of work of a cardiac muscle and its additional food.

As a rule, surgical treatment is shown in cases when increase in a right ventricle causes heart disease. Similar operations are usually performed in the first year of life of the child after diagnosis.