What is the meaning of hypokinesia, akinesia and dyskinesia in an echo report?

What is the meaning of hypokinesia, akinesia and dyskinesia in an echo report?

These are terms commonly encountered in an echocardiogram report. Kinesia means in relation to movement or muscular activity. Hence, they are used to describe the movement of a region of the heart muscle in an echocardiogram (echo in short) report. Another related mention is regional wall motion abnormality. If there is no abnormality in the motion of all regions of the heart muscle, it is mentioned as no regional wall motion abnormality.

Hypokinesia means decreased movement, indicating that a region of the heart muscle is not contracting well when the rest of the heart muscle is contracting well. Commonest cause of hypokinesia is a decrease in blood supply to that region due to block in the blood vessel, known as coronary artery disease. Coronary arteries are blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood to the heart muscle.

Akinesia means a region of the heart muscle is not contracting at all. It usually indicates total damage to the heart muscle, again commonly due to blocks in the blood vessel supplying the region. The region may also be scarred and thin in long standing cases.

Dyskinesia means one region of heart muscle is bulging out when the rest of the heart muscle is contracting. This also indicates a more severe form of damage to heart muscle, usually due to block in the blood vessel. The region is scarred and thinned out so that it bulges out when the pressure inside the heart chamber increases when rest of the heart muscle contracts.

Though these terms are commonly seen in echo reports, they can be used in any imaging modality which can see real time motion of the heart muscle like nuclear imaging, cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan) and cine computed tomography (CT scan).