Cardiomegaly
Read Your Scan Editorial Team·Last updated
Written from published radiology references and reviewed for plain language. Not written or signed by a physician, and not a diagnosis. How we write these pages →
In plain language
The heart appearing larger than usual on the image. This can have many explanations, and the X-ray view can sometimes exaggerate size. Your doctor may look further if needed.
Where you’ll see this
This wording turns up on Chest X-ray reports — X-ray imaging of the chest. A chest X-ray provides a broad picture of the lungs, the heart’s size and outline, the major airways, the bones of the chest, and the diaphragm. Doctors order it for cough, fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, before surgery, or as a routine check. It is a good first look, and if something needs closer inspection, a CT or other test may follow. The report describes what the picture shows; your doctor decides what it means.
Questions worth asking your doctor
- What was the reason for this X-ray, and did it answer that question?
- Does anything on the report need a closer look with another test?
- Do the findings fit my symptoms, or were they unexpected?
- Do the results change my current treatment in any way?
- Should I have a follow-up X-ray, and if so, when?
Other words on the same report
See this word on your own scan
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Read Your Scan is informational only — not a medical diagnosis, and not a substitute for a licensed radiologist or your doctor. If you have urgent symptoms, seek care.