Cardiomyopathy. Coloured chest X-ray of an 83-year-old male patient with cardiomyopathy (heart failure). The patient has cardiomegaly, where the heart is larger than normal. The diseased heart (pink, centre) is highly enlarged at centre right, due to its swollen left ventricle. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes the heart less efficient at pumping blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. It may be inherited, or due to metabolic abnormality, infection, or an unknown cause.