Enlargement of the heart.

• A. Cardiomegaly
• B. Aneurysm
• C. Cardiomyopathy
• D. Angina

Answer: (A)

Cardiomegaly is the enlargement of the heart. It’s typically recognized when the cardiac silhouette is larger than normal on a chest X-ray or when imaging shows an increased overall heart size. This finding can come from either thickened heart walls (hypertrophy) or from dilation of the heart chambers, reflecting different underlying processes such as long-standing hypertension, valve disease, or dilated cardiomyopathy. It signals a structural change rather than a specific disease itself, and it prompts further evaluation to identify the cause. An aneurysm, by contrast, is a localized dilation of a vessel or a portion of the heart wall, not a generalized enlargement. Cardiomyopathy is a broader disease of the heart muscle that can lead to enlargement but is the underlying pathology, not the term for the enlargement itself. Angina is chest pain from ischemia, not a description of heart size.