left Ventricle hypertrophy - best test

hello

Just a question if can be answered here from experience / knowledge - can LVH be detected on an angiogram (invasive)?

I know I have mild LVH from an echocardiogram April 2022 - “ increased relative wall thickness anf normal LV mass suggest concentric remodelling LV geometry” - research on my CHD (myocardial bridge) indicates this is a common development as result of the CHD doing its thing - squishing part of my LAD on every heartbeat where it’s buried in heart muscle.

“Visual” EF was stated as 55-60% which is normal?

I ask as I had a more recent angiogram in January and just wondered if the LVH would have ordinarily been seen then?

Google (I know) states reliably echocardiograms are the best test though.

I “quietly” worry my CHD is making it worse and will continue to as I have no meds to treat it (run out of options) and surgery is definitely a no due to the specific anatomical nature of my myocardial bridge.

I would one day like the assurance not getting worse but would I have to wait till (if or when’) symptoms get worse before they’d do a repeat echo?

(Symptoms - Chest pain/pressure/tightness, shortness of breath, tiredness and fatigue and on occasion dizziness and headaches - and the weird pounding heart that I can literally see virbrating in my chest and feel in my neck and head)

welcome any insight. 😊

[Hidden]

Sorry carnt really help with that one. I did think an echo and an mri would show it up very clearly. But I don't really know. How are you?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I would love to say feeling much better and seeing improvement but I’d be fibbing😉 same old. Just waiting on work and what they intend to do with me, been off sick nearly 7 months, the heart is what it is and it’s just doing its thing. I’m kind of resigned to it but I have my dark moments. Resting is my daily occupation now😊

Hope you’re making some progress with coming to terms with things, little by little. ❤️

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes same here to some degree. Iam at the gym trying to prepare for cpet test. Work,i I jumped ship before I was pushed. Sort of golden handshake? Any way I don't think people understand the disabilities these congenital diseases cause. Having another go at mental health help on nhs. Trying to take a day at a time. My wife tries her best but it is hard on her and others. We had a little escape to a hotel not far from me and she paid for a massage. I did not want that massage to end. All my aches and pains went away only to be back to square one today. I try to push a bit at a time. But I do wonder if my blood pressure medication has cause some of the side effects I feel, but carnt prove it and the specialist is happy with how my body has improved in her eyes but it's the tiredness and being breathless. I except that i had the breathlessness before., but it is just the exhaustion and tiredness. I don't know if blood pressure tablets can cause these symptoms. Trouble is the medical people love seeing it low but does my body like low blood pressure. It is hard and i do have some empathy with your predicament. But you have to put faith in them. Keep strong.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I think side effects may cause the tiredness, a BHF nurse said straight away when I told her I was on amlodipine that’ll cause tiredness. Guess we have to accept the lesser of two evils - tiredness or impact of blood pressure.

Good you’re trying stuff, that’s key. At least your trying.

Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes that's the hard bit. Got to except the side effects. Because I don't know what the options are? I will keep trying stuff. But I don't know what I want. I keep saying empathy just to make people understand what I and the rest of us are feeling both mentally and physically. Iam hoping that if as my cardiologist says my fluids in my body are normal, can I reduce my spironolactone? but thats all down to having a good cpet test. But who knows. It is hard. And it's one journey I did not want. Any way thanks for replying.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

No problem, all the best for the test, best foot forward ….literally on the CPET test🤭

[Heartattackvictim]

Well my experience after 2 NSTEMIs where I had angiograms and echocardiograms (Oct 2019 and July 2021) was that LVH was not detected. On a further stay in hospital with chest pains in January 2023 a CT Angiogram was done where LVH and a small hiatus hernia were discovered/found /diagnosed. Of course they may have just occurred since July 2021 (who knows?) But I was given an echocardiogram but not an invasive Angiogram in Jan 2023 (as it was known my arteries were clear from the previous 2 angiograms).

[Hidden in reply to Heartattackvictim]

thank you for sharing this, it’s interesting not seen on on first echos but as you say could have developed after. I too have a small hiatus hernia found on echocardiogram. My arteries as fairly clear but they thought on CT scan I had a moderate blockage so was given an invasive angiogram with option to stent but I believe it was the CHD masquerading as a blockage regards impact on blood flow - I distinctly remember the cardiologist stopping abruptly and now I think about it quite sheepishly saying you have a bridge as he’d waltzed in saying “mrs x you have a significant blockage” - I shortly after asked for a second opinion and got transferred to a much better cardiologist 😊