Complementary Role of Echocardiography and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review discusses the complementary roles of echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance in the diagnosis and management of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

RECENT FINDINGS: Imaging using novel echocardiographic techniques and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in HCM has demonstrated incremental utility in diagnosis and management guidance. Application of 3-D imaging has improved assessment of left ventricular (LV) mass and volume by echocardiography. Quantification of myocardial mechanics has shown promise for clarification of diagnosis, prognosis, and assessment of LV dysfunction. CMR permits 3-D tomographic characterization of cardiac structure and tissue characterization which has shown utility for assessing the diverse phenotypes in HCM and quantification of left ventricular fibrosis, an increasingly recognized poor prognostic marker. Non-invasive cardiac imaging remains central for the evaluation of HCM patients. An approach integrating echocardiography and CMR as complementary modalities allows for improved diagnostic and prognostic assessment.