Reversible cardiomyopathies--a review.

End-stage renal disease, cirrhosis, obesity, tachycardia, and extreme stress have all been shown to result in impaired left ventricular function. It is becoming clear, however, that the cardiomyopathies associated with these states are reversible after resolution of the underlying process. In this article, we present the current data demonstrating that renal transplantation, liver transplantation, and bariatric surgery can lead to reversal of uremic, cirrhotic, and obesity cardiomyopathies, respectively. We also discuss the reversibility of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy after radiofrequency ablation or pharmacologic therapy for rate or rhythm control and the reversibility of stress-induced cardiomyopathy with supportive care.