Recognition and diagnosis of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Recognition and diagnosis of nonobstructive apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is important to begin to understand the natural history and prognosis of such patients. Our experience with three patients indicates that a clue to the recognition of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy lies in the striking electrocardiographic repolarization changes consistent with subendocardial ischemia often prompting admission to the coronary care unit. The diagnosis of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in two patients was confirmed by two-dimensional echocardiographic apical views, but due to a technically inadequate echocardiogram, the diagnosis in the third patient was made by left ventriculography. Two of the three patients underwent right and left cardiac catheterization and their rest and exercise hemodynamic data were consistent with restrictive cardiomyopathy.