Septal reduction therapies are used to mitigate the symptoms caused by dynamic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and the associated mitral regurgitation (MR) that can surge in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Alternative therapies to treat LVOT obstruction include surgical procedures, i.e. surgical myotomy or myomectomy, or alcohol and radiofrequency septal ablation (intracardiac, transthoracic and endocardial,…
Untreated Aortic Stenosis: Associated Mortality and a Call to Attention
The progression of aortic stenosis has been extensively studied and is well-known. As observed, in its advanced stages, this condition entails high morbidity and a marked decrease in survival. Both North American and European guidelines recommend treatment when faced with severe valve disease. However, true severity can be difficult to determine due to discordant data,…
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Long Term Survival with Alcohol Septal Ablation according to Hemodynamic Variables
Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction is an integral component of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Both chemical myomectomy and alcohol septal ablation (ASA) have been shown effective in the reduction of residual gradients and symptoms in several studies and clinical registries, and are normally reserved for patients who continue experiencing symptoms despite medical treatment. Even though…
Resistant Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Myomectomy or Septal Ablation?
Approximately 70% of hypertrophic cardiomyopathies (HCM) are associated to a left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction and mitral valve failure leading to dyspnea and cardiac failure in a high number of patients. Even though at present there are effective drug treatments combined with pacemaker implantation, surgery (septal myomectomy (SM) continues to be the first choice…