The heart in dilated cardiomyopathy is often described as resembling a what?

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Dilated cardiomyopathy causes the heart chambers, especially the left ventricle, to become enlarged and remodel into a more round, ball-like shape. This diffuse dilation gives the heart a large, spherical silhouette on imaging, much like a basketball. The weakened pump from the dilated ventricles lowers ejection fraction and leads to heart failure symptoms. The basketball comparison fits because it conveys a big, rounded, uniform enlargement rather than a pointed, elongated, or thickened appearance.