The role of echocardiography in management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, characterized by increased left ventricular wall thickness. Echocardiographic studies are essential for establishing the diagnosis, evaluating the extent of disease, and risk stratification. Echocardiography is also recommended in regular screening of the genotype-positive relatives. Two-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler echocardiography are standard modalities in HCM diagnosis. Newer echocardiographic techniques as tissue Doppler, strain, and three-dimensional echocardiography are now widely used and can reveal subtle changes in the HCM patients. Echocardiography has given us a better understanding of the disease. In this review, we briefly profile the echocardiographic management of HCM in a clinical perspective.