Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a review of presentation, pathophysiology, diagnosis and natural course of the disease

Abstract

Introduction:Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (AHCM) is characterized by hypertrophy of the myocardium predominantly in the left ventricular (LV) apex and has now been recognized as an uncommon phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). 1 The incidence of AHCM ranges from 3% of all HCM patients in North America to up to 15% and 16% in reports from Japan and China respectively. 2,3 We review the latest evidence on epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic modalities, management and natural course of AHCM.