Interdisciplinary approach to surgical treatment for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) – is the most common genetically determined heart disease, characterized by symmetrical or asymmetrical myocardial thickening (≥15 mm), leading to progressive heart failure and a high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Diagnosis, natural course and treatment of HCM have become sources of uncertainty, misunderstanding and debate due to the increasing complexity of diagnosis in clinical practice, international differences in strategic approaches, advances in the treatment of genetic diseases and cardiac imaging. The aim. To amplify the current concept of HCM pathogenesis and mechanisms of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction as well as to highlight our own results of HCM surgical correction. Materials and methods. A total of 330 HCM patients underwent surgical correction (septal myectomy) in the National M. Amosov Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery affiliated to National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. The mean age of the patients was 49.7 ± 15.0 years, median – 53; 168 (50.9 %) were male. Results. Surgical correction of HCM significantly improves the quality of life (80 % of patients were in NYHA II functional class after correction), reduces the symptoms of heart failure (93 % of patients had minimal mitral regurgitation after septal myectomy), decreases LVOT systolic pressure gradient (SPG) (the mean SPG was 18.9 ± 8.5 mmHg versus preoperative 93.6 ± 23.2 mmHg) and lowers the high-risk for SCD in the patients (the mean percentage of high-risk group was 3.78 % after correction). Routine CT planning and intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography helps to avoid severe iatrogenic complications and resect the interventricular septum as accurately as possible, completely eliminating LVOT obstruction. Conclusions. Secondary abnormal chordal attachment cutting, papillary muscle realignment and anterior mitral leaflet plication along with septal myectomy allows to fully correct all phenotype of HCM, is the safe and effective procedure as well as the definitive method of this pathology treatment minimizing the risk of disease recurrence.