Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: Indications, Technical Aspects, and Clinical Outcomes.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common genetically transmitted heart disease. Around two-thirds of patients develop symptoms caused by the dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, either at rest or during effort. For patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) that remain symptomatic despite optimal medical treatment, septal reduction is a valuable therapeutic strategy. While surgical myomectomy was considered the gold standard until the end of the 1990s, alcohol septal ablation (ASA) has gained rapid popularity and acceptance, especially in Europe. In this review, we describe indications and contraindications to ASA, along with technical considerations related to the procedure. Particular emphasis is put on adjunctive imaging modalities required for proper patient selection (echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging) and procedure safety (echocardiography). Next, we describe postprocedural care and potential procedural complications. Finally, a review of the recent literature describing the long-term results of ASA is presented. In short, when performed by an experienced team, ASA has a high success rate and low complication rate. The procedure provides symptom relief and grants patients similar longevity to that of the general population.