Can positron emission tomography help stratify the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Excerpt

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heterogeneous cardiac disease based on autosomal genetic mutations of genes coding for proteins involving the sarcomeres and myofilament elements.1‐4 The clinical consequences of these mutations are widely variable, ranging from patients remaining totally asymptomatic to the most dreaded outcome, sudden cardiac death (SCD) which accounts for over 50% of deaths in this population.4 Despite considerable advances in our understanding of the genetic basis for this disease and its relation to the clinical course of patients with these mutations,5 there remains considerable heterogeneity in the risk of adverse outcomes. This is especially relevant as a clinician tries to prevent sudden cardiac death for an individual patient while minimizing the burden of therapy.6 …