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Published on: November 4, 2015
Apical Aneurysms and Mid-Left Ventricular Obstruction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Mark V Sherrid1, Samuel Bernard2, Nidhi Tripathi3
1Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Program, Leon Charney Division of Cardiology, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA; Echocardiography Laboratory, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA.
Insights
Apical left ventricular aneurysms in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are frequently associated with mid-left ventricular obstruction. This obstruction, characterized by complete systolic emptying, occurs in 95% of patients with these aneurysms.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Research
Background:
- Apical left ventricular (LV) aneurysms in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are linked to adverse clinical outcomes.
- The prevalence of mid-LV obstruction in HCM with apical aneurysms is highly variable in existing literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the precise frequency of mid-LV obstruction in patients presenting with apical aneurysms associated with HCM.
- To investigate the characteristics and implications of mid-LV obstruction in this patient cohort.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging data from 108 patients with apical aneurysms.
- Comparison of these patients with normal controls and HCM patients without aneurysms.
- Assessment of mid-LV obstruction using Doppler imaging and evaluation of cardiac morphology.
Main Results:
- Mid-LV obstruction was identified in 95% of patients with apical aneurysms, often with complete systolic emptying.
- A midsystolic Doppler signal void, indicating flow cessation, was present in 84% of obstructed patients.
- Patients with aneurysms exhibited smaller short-axis (SAX) systolic areas and larger papillary muscle (PM) areas compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The vast majority of patients with apical aneurysms in HCM exhibit associated mid-LV obstruction.
- Further investigation into the causal role of obstruction in the development of apical aneurysms is recommended.
Background:
Apical left ventricular (LV) aneurysms in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are associated with adverse outcomes. The reported frequency of mid-LV obstruction has varied from 36% to 90%.
Objectives:
The authors sought to ascertain the frequency of mid-LV obstruction in HCM apical aneurysms.
Methods:
The authors analyzed echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance examinations of patients with aneurysms from 3 dedicated programs and compared them with 63 normal controls and 47 controls with apical-mid HCM who did not have aneurysms (22 with increased LV systolic velocities).
Results:
There were 108 patients with a mean age of 57.4 ± 13.5 years; 40 (37%) were women. A total of 103 aneurysm patients (95%) had mid-LV obstruction with mid-LV complete systolic emptying. Of the patients with obstruction, 84% had a midsystolic Doppler signal void, a marker of complete flow cessation, but only 19% had Doppler systolic gradients ≥30 mm Hg. Five patients (5%) had relative hypokinesia in mid-LV without obstruction. Aneurysm size is not bimodal but appears distributed by power law, with large aneurysms decidedly less common. Comparing mid-LV obstruction aneurysm patients with all control groups, the short-axis (SAX) systolic areas were smaller (P < 0.007), the percent SAX area change was greater (P < 0.005), the papillary muscle (PM) areas were larger (P < 0.003), and the diastolic PM areas/SAX diastolic areas were greater (P < 0.005). Patients with aneurysms had 22% greater SAX PM areas compared with those with elevated LV velocities but no aneurysms (median: 3.00 cm2 [IQR: 2.38-3.70 cm2] vs 2.45 [IQR: 1.81-2.95 cm2]; P = 0.004). Complete emptying occurs circumferentially around central PMs that contribute to obstruction. Late gadolinium enhancement was always brightest and the most transmural apical of, or at the level of, complete emptying.
Conclusions:
The great majority (95%) of patients in the continuum of apical aneurysms have associated mid-LV obstruction. Further research to investigate obstruction as a contributing cause to apical aneurysms is warranted.
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