Outcomes Of Alcohol Septal Ablation Research Articles

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of alcohol septal ablation in the era of transcatheter valve interventions.

The clinical efficacy and safety of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have been well-established; however, less is known about outcomes in patients undergoing preemptive ASA before transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR). The goal of this study is to characterize the procedural characteristics and examine the clinical outcomes of ASA in both HCM and pre-TMVR. This retrospective study compared procedural characteristics and outcomes in patient who underwent ASA for HCM and TMVR. In total, 137 patients were included, 86 in the HCM group and 51 in the TMVR group. The intraventricular septal thickness (mean 1.8 vs. 1.2 cm; p < 0.0001) and the pre-ASA LVOT gradient (73.6 vs. 33.8 mmHg; p ≤ 0.001) were higher in the HCM group vs the TMVR group. The mean volume of ethanol injected was higher (mean 2.4 vs. 1.7 cc; p < 0.0001). The average neo-left ventricular outflow tract area increased significantly after ASA in the patients undergoing TMVR (99.2 ± 83.37 mm2 vs. 196.5 ± 114.55 mm2; p = <0.0001). The HCM group had a greater reduction in the LVOT gradient after ASA vs the TMVR group (49.3 vs. 18 mmHg; p = 0.0040). The primary composite endpoint was higher in the TMVR group versus the HCM group (50.9% vs. 25.6%; p = 0.0404) and had a higher incidence of new permanent pacemaker (PPM) (25.5% vs. 18.6%; p = 0.3402). The TMVR group had a higher rate of all-cause mortality (9.8% vs. 1.2%; p = 0.0268). Preemptive ASA before TMVR was performed in patients with higher degree of clinical comorbidities, and correspondingly is associated with worse short-term clinical outcomes in comparison to ASA for HCM patients. ASA before TMVR enabled percutaneous mitral interventions in a small but significant minority of patients that would have otherwise been excluded. The degree of LVOT and neoLVOT area increase is significant and predictable.

OUTCOMES OF ALCOHOL SEPTAL ABLATION

OUTCOMES OF ALCOHOL SEPTAL ABLATION

Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation in Patients With Severe Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

The current ACC/AHA guidelines on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) caution that alcohol septal ablation (ASA) might be less effective in patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) ≥ 100 mm Hg. We used a multinational registry to evaluate the outcome of ASA patients according to baseline LVOTO. A total of 1346 ASA patients were enrolled and followed for 5.8 ± 4.7 years (7764 patient-years). The patients with baseline LVOTO ≥ 100 mm Hg were significantly older (61 ± 14 years vs 57 ± 13 years; P < 0.01), more often women (60% vs 45%; P < 0.01), and had a more pronounced HCM phenotype than those with baseline LVOTO < 100 mm Hg. There were no significant differences in the occurrences of 30-day major cardiovascular adverse events in the 2 groups. After propensity score matching (2 groups, 257 pairs of patients), the long-term survival was similar in both groups (P= 0.10), the relative reduction of LVOTO was higher in the group with baseline LVOTO ≥ 100 mm Hg (82 ± 21% vs 73 ± 26%; P < 0.01), but the residual resting LVOTO remained higher in this group (23 ± 29 mm Hg vs 13 ± 13 mm Hg; P < 0.01). Dyspnoea (NYHA functional class) at the most recent clinical check-up was similar in the 2 groups (1.7 ± 0.7 vs 1.7 ± 0.7; P= 0.85), and patients with baseline LVOTO ≥ 100 mm Hg underwent more reinterventions (P= 0.02). After propensity matching, ASA patients with baseline LVOTO ≥ 100 mm Hg had similar survival and dyspnoea as patients with baseline LVOTO < 100 mm Hg, but their residual LVOTO and risk of repeated procedures were higher.

TCT-353 Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation in the Era of Transcatheter Valve Interventions

TCT-353 Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation in the Era of Transcatheter Valve Interventions

Periprocedural, Short-Term, and Long-Term Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation in Patients with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: A 20-Year Single-Center Experience.

Background: Alcohol septal ablation is recommended for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients who had refractory symptoms despite optimal medical treatment. We compared the periprocedural, short-, and long-term clinical outcomes and mortality predictors in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients who underwent alcohol septal ablation.MethodsHypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients aged ≥18 years (63 females and 71 males) who underwent alcohol septal ablation were included. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality.ResultsThe mean patient age was 60.0 (standard deviation 13.7) years. The median follow-up time was 13 (7.6-18.5) years. During the procedure, 9, 2, and 1 patients developed ventricular fibrillation, remote site myocardial infarction, and pericardial tamponade, respectively, but none died. One patient died during hospitalization. During the long-term follow-up, 17, 5, 20, and 8 patients developed heart failure, myocardial infarction, chronic atrial fibrillation, and non-fatal stroke, respectively, and 24 died. There was no significant difference between the sexes (all P > .05). Age (hazard ratio = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.61‒0.78, P < .001), body mass index (hazard ratio = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.04-1.40, P = .01), age at diagnosis (hazard ratio = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.34-1.78, P < .001), and time from diagnosis to ablation (hazard ratio = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.35-1.84, P < .001) predicted all-cause mortality. In Kaplan‒Meier curves, long-term all-cause mortality was similar in men and women (P[log-rank] = .43).Conclusion Alcohol septal ablation has similar short- and long-term outcomes for both sexes in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients. Risk factors for long-term mortality were age, body mass index, diagnosis age, and time delay to operation. Therefore, alcohol septal ablation timing is essential for better clinical outcomes. Our findings may contribute to the increased performance of alcohol septal ablation in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients in our country.

Outcome of alcohol septal ablation in mildly symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: A comparison with medical therapy.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was primarily to determine efficacy after alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in mildly symptomatic patients (NYHA class II) with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), as compared to medical therapy.MethodsThis retrospective study included 163 mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM evaluated in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between March 2001 and August 2019, consisting of the medical group (n = 105) and the ASA group (n = 58). All‐cause mortality and HCM‐related death were mainly observed.ResultsFollow‐up was completed in 161 patients and the median follow‐up was 6.0 years. Compared to medically treated patients, patients post‐ASA had comparable survival free of all‐cause mortality (98.3% and 95.1% vs. 93.0% and 83.1% at 5 and 10 years, respectively; p = 0.374). Survival free of HCM‐related death was also similar between ASA and medical groups (98.3% and 95.1% vs. 94.3% and 86.2% at 5 and 10 years, respectively; p = 0.608). However, compared to medical therapy, ASA had advantages on the improvement of NYHA class (1.4 ± 0.6 vs. 2.1 ± 0.5, p = .000) and lower occurrence of new‐onset atrial fibrillation (AF) (7.8% vs. 20.4%, p = .048). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that resting LVOT gradient at the last clinical check‐up was an independent predictor of all‐cause mortality (HR = 1.021, 95%CI 1.002–1.040, p = .027).ConclusionThis registry suggests that mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM treated with ASA have comparable survival to that of medically treated patients, with the improvement of NYHA class and lower occurrence of new‐onset AF. All‐cause mortality is independently associated with resting LVOT gradient at the last clinical check‐up.

Comparison of Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation or Septal Myectomy for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Patients ≤65 Years Versus >65 Years

Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) and septal myectomy (SM) are therapeutic interventions for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) who remain symptomatic despite medical treatment. Outcomes for both interventions in age groups ≤65 versus >65 years are scarce. We queried the National Readmission Database for adult patients undergoing either SM or ASA between 2010 and 2015 for HC. Patients were divided into 2 age-groups (≤65-years and >65-years). We aimed to compare the in-hospital mortality, complication rates, and resource utilization for each procedure between the 2 age-groups. We identified 4,358 patients with HC who underwent intervention, of which 2,113 were treated with SM and 2,245 with ASA. In-hospital mortality was 6-times higher in patients ≤65 years old who underwent SM compared with ASA (1.5% vs 0.3% odds ratio 6.2; p = 0.04); and 4-times higher in patients >65 years treated with SM compared with ASA (6.7% vs 1.7% odds ratio 4.29; p = 0.04). Blood transfusion rates and stroke were higher in patients undergoing SM, regardless of their age-group. Length of hospital stay was lower in the ASA group (3 days vs 6 days for both age groups, p <0.001) as well as median hospital costs (≤65 years old: $15,474 vs $31.531; and >65 years old: $16,672 vs $36,042, p <0.001). In conclusion, patients with HC treated with ASA had significantly lower in-hospital mortality, complications rates, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs compared with patients undergoing SM at any age.

TCT-129 Age Stratified Analysis for Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Undergoing Alcohol Septal Ablation or Septal Myectomy

Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) and septal myectomy (SM) are the standard therapeutic interventions for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). There is limited published data evaluating outcomes of alcohol septal ablation by patient age stratification. We queried the National Readmission Database for

Short- and long-term outcomes of alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy in patients with mild left ventricular hypertrophy: a propensity score matching analysis.

Based on European guidelines, alcohol septal ablation (ASA) for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is indicated only in patients with interventricular septum (IVS) thickness >16 mm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes in ASA patients with mild hypertrophy (IVS ≤ 16 mm). We retrospectively evaluated 1505 consecutive ASA patients and used propensity score to match 172 pairs (344 patients) in groups IVS ≤ 16 mm or IVS > 16 mm. There was no occurrence of post-ASA ventriculoseptal defect in the whole cohort (n = 1505). Matched patients had 30-day mortality rate 0% in IVS ≤ 16 mm group and 0.6% in IVS > 16 mm group (P = 1). Patients in IVS ≤ 16 mm group had more ASA-attributable early complications (16% vs. 9%; P = 0.049), which was driven by higher need for pacemaker implantation (13% vs. 8%; P = 0.22). The mean follow-up was 5.4 ± 4.3 years and the annual all-cause mortality rate was 1.8 and 3.2 deaths per 100-patient-years in IVS ≤ 16 group and IVS > 16 group, respectively (log-rank test P = 0.04). There were no differences in symptom relief and left ventricular (LV) gradient reduction. Patients with IVS ≤ 16 mm had less repeated septal reduction procedures (log-rank test P = 0.03). Selected patients with HOCM and mild hypertrophy (IVS ≤ 16 mm) had more early post-ASA complications driven by need for pacemaker implantation, but their long-term survival is better than in patients with IVS >16 mm. While relief of symptoms and LV obstruction reduction is similar in both groups, a need for repeat septal reduction is higher in patients with IVS > 16 mm.

TCTAP A-078 Short- and Long-term Outcome of Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy in Patients with Mild Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

Based on European guidelines, alcohol septal ablation (ASA) for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is indicated only in patients with interventricular septum (IVS) thickness > 16 mm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes in ASA patients with mild

Results of Ten-Year Follow-Up of Alcohol Septal Ablation in Patients with Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

This study looks at 10-year follow-up outcomes of alcohol septal ablation in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Between 2000 and 2008, 40 patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (27 males, 13 females) underwent alcohol septal ablation. The median follow-up period was 123 (2-179) months. The mean age ran to 43.8 + 13.9 years. The initial dose of ethanol (3 mL) was chosen for ablation in all cases. The hospital mortality was 0%. Permanent pacemakers were implanted in 3 of 40 (7.5%) cases in the hospital period. The median clinical follow-up was 123 (2-179) months. Survival rates at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years after the procedure were as follows: 97.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95.1-99.9%), 92.5% (95% CI, 94.8-90.2%), 85.0% (95% CI, 82.9-87.1%), and 81.3% (95% CI, 79.3-83.3%), respectively. Seven patients died during follow-up. Sudden death was observed in two cases. Permanent pacemakers were implanted in 2 of 40 (5%) cases in the follow-up. The log-rank test revealed no statistically significant difference between the 15-year survival rate in our cohort and age- and sex-matched general Russian population ( p = 0.11113). Alcohol septal ablation provides long-term survival rates that look comparable with age- and sex-matched general population in the 15-year follow-up period.

CRT-700.57 Over 10-year Follow-up for 42 Patients After Alcohol Septal Ablation

Long-term outcomes of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are still lacking. To assess long-term results, we followed 42 patients over 10 years. ASAs were done for 160 unselected (all-comers) obstructive HCM patients between 2000 and 2017. In this

Effect of Institutional Experience on Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

BackgroundThe current American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy state that institutional experience is a key determinant of successful outcomes and lower complication rates of alcohol septal ablation (ASA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ASA according to institutional experience with the procedure. MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 1310 patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who underwent ASA and were divided into 2 groups. The first-50 group consisted of the first consecutive 50 patients treated at each centre, and the over-50 group consisted of patients treated thereafter (patients 51 and above). ResultsIn the 30-day follow-up, there was a significant difference in the occurrence of major cardiovascular adverse events (21% in the first-50 group vs 12% in the over-50 group; P < 0.01), which was driven by the occurrence of cardiovascular deaths (2.1% vs 0.4%; P = 0.01) and implanted pacemakers (15% vs 9%; P < 0.01). In the long-term follow-up (5.5 ± 4.1 years), the first-50 group was associated with a significantly higher occurrence of major adverse events (P < 0.01) and higher cardiovascular mortality (P < 0.01). Also, patients in the first-50 group were more likely to self-report dyspnea of New York Heart Association class III/IV (16% vs 10%), to have a left ventricular outflow gradient > 30 mm Hg (16% vs 10%) at the last clinical check-up (P < 0.01 for both), and a probability of repeated septal reduction therapy (P = 0.03). ConclusionsAn institutional experience of > 50 ASA procedures was associated with a lower occurrence of ASA complications, better cardiovascular survival, better hemodynamic and clinical effect, and less need for repeated septal reduction therapy.

Outcomes of Alcohol Septal Ablation in Younger Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to describe the safety and outcomes of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in younger patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. BackgroundThe American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines reserve ASA for older patients and patients with serious comorbidities. Data on long-term age-specific outcomes after ASA are scarce. MethodsA total of 1,197 patients (mean age 58 ± 14 years) underwent ASA for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Patients were divided into young (≤50 years), middle-age (51 to 64 years), and older (≥65 years) groups. ResultsThirty-day mortality and pacemaker implantation rates were lower in young compared with older patients (0.3% vs. 2% [p = 0.03] and 8% vs. 16% [p < 0.001], respectively). Ninety-five percent of young patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II at last follow-up. During a mean follow-up period of 5.4 ± 4.2 years, 165 patients (14%) died. Annual mortality rates of young, middle-age, and older patients were 1%, 2%, and 5%, respectively (p < 0.01). Annual adverse arrhythmic event rates were similar in the 3 age groups at about 1% (p = 0.90). Independent predictors of mortality in young patients were age, female sex, and residual left ventricular outflow tract gradient. Additionally, young patients treated with ≥2.5 ml alcohol had a higher all-cause mortality rate (0.6% vs. 1.4% per year in patients treated with <2.5 ml, p = 0.03). ConclusionsASA in younger patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was safe and effective for relief of symptoms at long-term follow-up. The authors propose that the indication for ASA can be broadened to younger patients.

Outcome of Alcohol Septal Ablation in Mildly Symptomatic Patients With Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study Based on the Euro-Alcohol Septal Ablation Registry.

BackgroundThe long‐term efficacy and safety of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in patients with highly symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long‐term outcomes of mildly symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy treated with ASA.Methods and ResultsWe retrospectively evaluated consecutive patients enrolled in the Euro‐ASA registry (1427 patients) and identified 161 patients (53±13 years; 27% women) who were mildly symptomatic (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class II) pre‐ASA. The median (interquartile range) follow‐up was 4.8 (1.7–8.5) years. The clinical outcome was assessed and compared with the age‐ and sex‐matched general population. The 30‐day mortality after ASA was 0.6% and the annual all‐cause mortality rate was 1.7%, which was similar to the age‐ and sex‐matched general population (P=0.62). A total of 141 (88%) patients had resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient at the last clinical checkup ≤30 mm Hg. Obstruction was reduced from 63±32 to 15±19 mm Hg (P<0.01), and the mean NYHA class decreased from 2.0±0 to 1.3±0.1 (P<0.01); 69%, 29%, and 2% of patients were in NYHA class I, II, and III at the last clinical checkup, respectively.ConclusionsMildly symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients treated with ASA had sustained symptomatic and hemodynamic relief with a low risk of developing severe heart failure. Their survival is comparable to the general population.

Alcohol Septal Ablation for Treatment of Symptomatic Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

To provide a contemporary review of data regarding patient selection and outcomes for patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) undergoing septal reduction therapy with alcohol septal ablation (ASA). This review focuses on recent guideline updates from the USA and Europe, multiple recently published large multicenter, multinational registries of patients being treated with ASA, and a recent review of “real world” outcomes of ASA and surgical myectomy (SM) treated in hospitals in the USA. Recent data have demonstrated that ASA is a safe procedure and is effective for the reduction of symptoms associated with obstructive HCM. Both short-and long-term outcomes after ASA appear similar to outcomes in patients undergoing SM and medical treatment. Outcomes in a real-world setting evaluating ASA and SM outside of high volume centers specializing in treatment of HCM show that ASA is increasing in use and that outcomes are fairly consistent across centers performing the procedure.

Short and long-term outcomes of alcohol septal ablation with the trans-radial versus the trans-femoral approach: A single center-experience

BackgroundAlthough the trans-radial approach (TR) has been applied to various subsets of patients in percutaneous coronary intervention, the feasibility, efficacy, acute procedural and long-term outcomes of TR versus trans-femoral approach (TF) for alcohol septal ablation (ASA) have not yet been determined. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare the short and long-term outcomes of ASA with the TR approach compared to the TF approach. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 240 patients who underwent an ASA procedure at our institution from November 1999 to November 2015. The TR approach was performed in 172 cases and the TF approach in the remaining 68 cases. ResultsThe use of TR approach progressively increased from 62% in 1999–2005 to 91% in 2011–2015 (p=0.0001). The TF and TR group had similar age, baseline NYHA class (NYHA 3 or 4) and mean left ventricular outflow tract peak gradient before ASA. Total contrast used (TR: 73.2±47.2ml; TF: 88.7±49.3ml, p=0.11), total radiation Air kerma area product (TR: 43.7±48.0Gycm−2; TF: 55.9±48.2Gycm−2; p=0.39) and peak left ventricular outflow tract gradient immediately after ASA (TR: 19.1±19.6mmHg; TF: 20.4±18.0mmHg, p=0.63) were similar in both groups.Procedural success was 91.9% and 91.2% in the TR and TF groups, respectively (p=0.53). At 30days, there was 2 intra-hospital death (1 in TF and 1 in TR), 1 major stroke in the TF group and 1 coronary artery dissection in the TR group. Vascular complications were less frequent in the TR group (0.58% vs. 7.3%; p=0.002). The mean length of follow-up was 4.56±4.34years (IQR 0.69–8.2; median 2.92years; maximum: 15.5years). By Kaplan–Meier estimate, the observed survival in the overall cohort was comparable to the expected survival for a sex and age-matched comparable general French population at 10years (86.9 vs. 83.6%, p=0.88). Survival was similar between the TR and TF group (92.1% vs. 89.7% at 6years, respectively; p=0.71). ConclusionsAlcohol septal ablation from the radial approach can be performed with similar acute and long-term success, but with lower vascular complications compared to the femoral approach.

Predictors of Outcome After Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: An Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) is used for treatment of medically refractory hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients with severe left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. The current recommendations restrict the procedure to adults with favorable anatomy and no other coexisting surgically amenable disease. Some patients remain symptomatic with residual LVOT obstruction, thus better patient selection is required. One-hundred and two consecutive subjects with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy who underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, transthoracic echocardiography, and ASA were enrolled in this study. Successful ASA was defined as reduction of LVOT gradient ≥50% of baseline by echocardiographic follow-up 6 months post ASA. The relationships between segmental thickness assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography and outcomes of ASA were compared between the 2 groups. The survival rate after ablation was 100% at 6-month follow-up. The LVOT gradient decreased ≥50% of baseline in 72% (73/102) patients. There were good correlations between the reduction of postoperative LVOT gradient and the thickness of basal anterior segment (r=0.371; P<0.001), basal anteroseptal segment (r=0.527; P<0.001), and total thickness of the above 2 segments (r=0.672; P<0.001). The area under the receiver operating curves were 0.68, 0.79 and 0.89 for predictive analysis (all P<0.001). The cutoff thickness of the segment 1+2 was 50.9 mm, which yielded a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 77%. Both echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging can be used effectively as noninvasive tools for patient selection for ASA procedure. A significantly thickened septum among hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy patients may be associated with a poor outcome after ASA.

A new approach to the assessment of outcomes of alcohol septal ablation in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heterogeneous disease characterized by myocardial hypertrophy, without any other systemic or cardiac disorders and with predominant involvement of the interventricular septum. Approximately 25% of patients have a dynamic obstruction of the left ventricular output tract due its constriction and abnormal systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve. Therapeutic strategy for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, who remain symptomatic despite drug therapy, includes surgery (septal myectomy) and non-surgical interventions, such as alcohol septal ablation. In the present study the possibility of cardiac MRI with contrast enhancement in the evaluation of the results of endovascular treatment hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and evidence for the benefits of this method in 25 patients with an obstructive form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after alcohol septal ablation are discussed.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcome of Alcohol Septal Ablation With Confirmation by Nitroglycerin Test for Drug-Refractory Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy With Labile Left Ventricular Outflow Obstruction

Careful evaluation, including provocation tests, is needed to specify an indication for septal reduction therapy in patients with drug-refractory hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) using an intravenous nitroglycerin test (IV-NTG). Of consecutive 156 patients, after excluding cases of severe valvular disease and repeat septal reduction therapy, we investigated the clinical characteristics of patients with labile obstruction (n = 32) and the outcomes after ASA using the IV-NTG test; comparisons were made with those exhibiting basal obstruction (a resting gradient of ≥30 mm Hg). The patients with labile obstruction had less left ventricular mass (141 ± 47 vs 182 ± 59 g, p = 0.003) and less brain natriuretic peptide values (414 ± 576 vs 744 ± 625 pg/ml, p <0.001) than those with basal obstruction. Immediately after ASA, the gradients improved from 15 ± 7 to 5 ± 5 mm Hg and the IV-NTG-provoked gradients improved from 74 ± 25 to 13 ± 9 mm Hg, respectively. At 1-year follow-up, the New York Heart Association functional class had improved from 2.7 ± 0.5 to 1.3 ± 0.5. There was no sudden cardiac death during the follow-up period (5.1 ± 3.0 years), and 8-year survival free from cardiovascular death was 94%. In conclusion, patients with labile obstruction had less-severe left ventricular hypertrophy but exhibited symptoms comparable to those with basal obstruction. The IV-NTG test is a useful method for rapidly confirming acute reduction of the latent gradient after the ASA procedure, and the outcome of ASA for labile obstruction was favorable.