Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic cardiomyopathy and is caused by mutations in genes responsible for encoding proteins of the cardiac sarcomere. Heterogeneity in this condition also extends to the electrocardiographic (ECG) manifestations, with an enormous diversity in the pattern of ECG findings. The ECG is abnormal in 90% of HCM patients, however no specific ECG pattern can reliably predict phenotype or clinical course. The twelve-lead ECG has long been a component of a comprehensive assessment of patients with HCM, thus knowledge of associated findings is important for the practicing clinician. In this chapter we review findings in HCM patients associated with left ventricular hypertrophy, pseudo Q waves, apical variants, repolarization abnormalities, and ECG manifestations in genotype positive, phenotype negative patients.