Review
Echocardiography in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: usefulness of old and new techniques in the diagnosis and pathophysiological assessment
1 Department of Clinical Medicine, Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
2 CMSR Veneto Medica -Altavilla Vicentina, Italy
3 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
4 Referral Center for Myocardial Diseases, Careggi University Hospital, Florence
5 Noninvasive Cardiology Unit, Ospedale San Raffaele, IRCCS, Milano, Italy
6 Cardiology Operative Unit, S. Maria Annunziata Hospital, Firenze, Italy
7 Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
8 Chair of Cardiology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
9 Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, Ferrara, Italy
10 Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Morphological Sciences, University of Rome, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
11 Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Siena, Italy
Cardiovascular Ultrasound 2010, 8:7 doi:10.1186/1476-7120-8-7
Published: 17 March 2010Abstract
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the most common inherited cardiomyopathy. The identification of patients with HCM is sometimes still a challenge. Moreover, the pathophysiology of the disease is complex because of left ventricular hyper-contractile state, diastolic dysfunction, ischemia and obstruction which can be coexistent in the same patient. In this review, we discuss the current and emerging echocardiographic methodology that can help physicians in the correct diagnostic and pathophysiological assessment of patients with HCM.
