What are the long-term echocardiographic changes and clinical outcomes after myectomy in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy?
Late follow-up after myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy reveals that despite initial echocardiographic improvements, patients may eventually develop left ventricular dilatation and congestive heart failure.
Postoperative echocardiograms of 50 patients undergoing myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy between 1965 and 1982 have been evaluated. In 21 patients a comparison with preoperative echocardiograms showed that postoperatively there was a significant reduction of septal and free wall thickness, an increase of left ventricular end-diastolic as well as outflow tract dimensions and a reduction or disappearance of systolic anterior motion of the mitral leaflet. Postoperative examination at intervals greater than 3 years revealed a significant increase of left ventricular and left atrial cavity size with unchanged contractile parameters and little reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy. In 4 of 12 patients evaluated greater than 8 years after myectomy, left ventricular dilatation was observed and 3 of these 4 patients developed congestive heart failure. Development of left ventricular dilatation was independent of whether a transventricular and/or transaortic approach was used for myectomy. These data indicate that the late course after myectomy in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy may be complicated by dilatation of the left ventricular cavity.
Turina et al. (Fri,) studied this question.