Department of Cardiology, Heart and Diabetes Center Nordrhein-Westfalch, University Hospital of the Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.

Objectives. We report the acute results and midterm clinical course after percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation (PTSMA) in symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).

Background. In the treatment of HOCM, surgical myectomy and DDD pacemaker therapy are considered the standard procedural extensions to drug therapy with negatively inotropic drugs. As an alternative nonsurgical procedure for reducing the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient, PTSMA by alcohol-induced septal branch occlusion was introduced. However, clinical follow-up has not been sufficiently described.

Methods. In 25 patients (13 women, 12 men; mean [±SD] age 54.7 ± 15.0 years) who were symptomatic despite sufficient drug therapy, 1.4 ± 0.6 septal branches were occluded with an injection of 4.1 ± 2.6 ml of alcohol (96%) to ablate the hypertrophied interventricular septum. After 3-months, follow-up results of LVOT gradients and clinical course were determined.

Results. The invasively determined LVOT gradients could be reduced in 22 patients (88%), with a mean reduction from 61.8 ± 29.8 mm Hg (range 4 to 152) to 19.4 ± 20.8 mm Hg (range 0 to 74) at rest (p < 0.0001) and from 141.4 ± 45.3 mm Hg (range 76 to 240) to 61.1 ± 40.1 mm Hg (range 0 to 135) after extrasystole. All patients had angina pectoris for 24 h. The maximal creatine kinase increase was 780 ± 436 U/liter (range 305 to 1,810) after 11.1 ± 6.0 h (range 4 to 24). Thirteen patients (52%) developed a trifascicular block for 5 min to 8 days requiring temporary (n = 8 [32%]) or permanent (DDD) pacemaker implantation (n = 5 [20%]). An 86-year old woman died 8 days after successful intervention of uncontrollable ventricular fibrillation in conjunction with beta-sympathomimetics in chronically obstructive pulmonary disease. The remaining patients were discharged after 11.3 ± 5.4 days (range 5 to 24), after an uncomplicated hospital course. Clinical and echocardiographic follow-up was achieved in all 24 surviving patients after 3 months. No cardiac complications occurred. Twenty-one patients (88%) showed clinical improvement, with a New York Heart Association functional class of 1.4 ± 1.1. A further reduction in LVOT gradient was shown in 14 patients (58%).

Conclusions: PTSMA of HOCM is a promising nonsurgical technique for septal myocardial reduction, with a consecutive reduction in LVOT gradient. Possible complications are trifascicular blocks, requiring permanent pacemaker implantation, and tachycardiac rhythm disturbances. Clinical long-term observations of larger patient series and a comparison with conventional forms of therapy are necessary to determine the conclusive therapeutic significance. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1998;31:252-8)