What is Hypokinesia?

What is Hypokinesia?

Hypokinesia means slow movement. In echocardiography it is used to describe a region of the heart muscle which is contracting lesser than the other regions. Usually this is due to decreased blood supply to that region of the heart muscle. Hypokinesia is commonly seen after a heart attack. The location of hypokinesia in the heart will depend on which blood vessel or its branch has been blocked.

When the blood vessel is opened by medications or by angioplasty, hypokinesia can improve over a period of time. Then the contraction of that region may become near normal.

Hypokinesia can occur on a regional level or a global level. Global hypokinesia means that the whole of the heart muscle is weak. This occurs in heart muscle diseases like dilated cardiomyopathy. Regional hypokinesia is common after a heart attack.