Significance of the Monitoring Right Ventricular Echocardiographic Parameters in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Undergoing Alcohol Septal Ablation—A Single-Center Experience

TL;DR

This study shows that right ventricular wall thickness after a heart procedure can predict early outcomes in patients with a heart condition.

Contribution

The study identifies right ventricular wall thickness as an early predictor of treatment outcomes after alcohol septal ablation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Findings

RV wall thickness at 3 months and 1 year correlated with LVOTG, NYHA class, and LVD (p < 0.01).

These correlations were not significant at 3 and 5 years post-procedure (p = ns).

RVWT could estimate long-term treatment effects as early as 3 months after ASA.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between right ventricular (RV) structure and function and established markers of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) efficacy in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We hypothesized that RV characteristics may serve as predictors of left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) in the early period following ASA. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 50 HCM patients who underwent ASA. Correlations between echocardiographic RV parameters and standard indicators of ASA success were assessed at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years post-procedure. Results: Echocardiographic measurements of RV wall thickness (RVWT) at 3 months and 1 year after ASA showed significant correlations with maximum LVOTG (p < 0.001), NYHA functional class, and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVD) (both p < 0.01). At 3 and 5 years, these correlations were no longer statistically significant (p = ns). No associations were observed for other parameters. Conclusions: Echocardiographic assessment of RVWT may serve as an early predictor of subsequent LVOTG development as soon as 3 months after ASA. RVWT could therefore provide an estimate of long-term treatment effects. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

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