Hypertrophic obstructive (HOCM) cardiomyopathy is a nondilated hypertrophy of the left ventricle in the absence of cardiac or systemic disease that could produce left ventricular hypertrophy. MR imaging was performed in 12 patients with HOCM. The mean myocardial thickness was 23.5 mm in the basal septum, 16.8 mm in the posterolateral wall and the ratio of septal to posterolateral wall thickness was 1.39. These values were compared with accepted normals in the literature.
In patiens with HOCM, gross correlation was demostrrated between severity of obstruction and MR features, including increased end ¨C diastolic thickness of the septal wall, systolic anterior motion of the mitral value, focal distortion of grid pattern in SPAMM techniques and signal void the left venticular outflow treat during systole.