Benefits of intraoperative echocardiography in the surgical management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44195.

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of intraoperative echocardiography in planning the site and extent of myectomy and in ensuring adequate control of the left ventricular outflow tract gradient. BACKGROUND. Although intraoperative echocardiography has been found to be beneficial in patients undergoing valve repair, its impact on surgical decisions in patients undergoing septal myectomy for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has not been described. METHODS. In 50 patients undergoing septal myectomy over a 5-year period, epicardial echocardiography was performed before cardiopulmonary bypass to establish the extent of outflow tract obstruction, locate its site and plan the myectomy. In 30 patients, transesophageal echocardiography was also used to corroborate data on outflow tract anatomy and examine the mitral valve. RESULTS. In 40 patients (80%) the initial myectomy resulted in a reduction of the maximal outflow tract gradient from 88 +/- 45 to 24 +/- 11 mm Hg, measured by epicardial continuous wave Doppler echocardiography. Ten patients (20%) were shown by postbypass intraoperative echocardiography to have an unsatisfactory result, based on a persistent gradient > 50 mm Hg (n = 7) or persistent mitral regurgitation of greater than moderate severity (n = 3). The postbypass two-dimensional echocardiogram was then used to direct the surgeon toward the most likely site of continued obstruction, and cardiopulmonary bypass was reinstituted to permit further myectomy (n = 9) or mitral valve repair (n = 1). After the second or subsequent period of cardiopulmonary bypass, the outflow tract gradient (26 +/- 14 mm Hg) was substantially reduced and was not significantly different from the postbypass gradient (24 +/- 11 mm Hg) in the group with initial surgical success. At postoperative follow-up (20 +/- 37 weeks), the maximal measured outflow tract gradient (22 +/- 21 mm Hg) showed no difference between patients with immediate surgical success and those requiring a second period of cardiopulmonary bypass for further resection. CONCLUSIONS. Intraoperative echocardiography proved a useful tool to guide the site and extent of septal myectomy, leading to more adequate surgical resection and to persistence of satisfactory control of the outflow tract obstruction into the early follow-up period.

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