HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY (Past, Present and Future)

Abstract

The disease entity as we have come to recognize it today was placed in proper perspective to a large extent due to the classification of the dcisorganized groups of cardiomyopathies into four distinet types by Goodwin et al. (1,2). However, the condition which comprises by far the most common disorder under the broad category of Hypertrophic Cardionyopathy i.e, the condition named Idiopathic Hypertrophic subaortic Stenosis (IHSS) in U.S.A and Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM) in U.K was first accurately recognized by the British pathologist Donald Teare (3). Teare described described massive hypertrophy of the ventricular septum and adjacent walls, involving from a third to half of the left ventricle, in eight cases.

Prior to Teare’s description, the earliest report of what appears to be a description of this condition is that of the German pathologist Schmincke who in 1907 described “hyperplasia” of the muscle mass of the left ventricular outflow area (4). In 1910 Bernheim’s description of right ventricular obliteration by left ventricular disease included cases with asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy with very thickened septum which probably were cases.