Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Usefulness of imaging in prognostic stratification and choice of treatment

Abstract

Cardiac imaging has an important role not only in the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) but also in prognostic stratification. HCM is a disease with a variable course and outcome. Some cases are asymptomatic, with an excellent long-term survival, but some patients die suddenly or evolve toward a more severe disease, with heart failure (HF) and systolic function impairment. Cardiac imaging allows a thorough assessment of structural and functional features and identifies several risk factors to help the clinician discriminate severe disease from a more benign condition. Multiparametric imaging evaluation using echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and other techniques—such as positron emission tomography (PET)—increase the ability to stratify the outcome of these patients.