Obstructive Cardiomyopathy Simulating Aortic Stenosis

Over the past few years there has been a gradual recognition that obstruction to outflow from the left ventricle may be determined by lesions other than fusion of the aortic valve cusps or congenital diaphragms below or above the cusps. This syndrome has been described by Brock (1957, 1959), under the title of Functional obstruction of the left ventricle, and he instances a patient in whom hypertension produced left ventricular hypertrophy that narrowed the outflow tract of the left ventricle in systole. Bercu et al. (1958) used the term Pseudo-aortic stenosis to describe a patient with apparent aortic stenosis who at autopsy had gross generalized ventricular hypertrophy only. Morrow and Braunwald (1959), under the heading Functional aortic stenosis, instance two patients with apparent sub-aortic stenosis who at open operation were found to have no anatomical obstruc- tion.