Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
Maria Kalliopi Konstantinidou, Maria Touloupaki, Fabio De Robertis and Antonis Pantazis
Harefield Hospital - Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS University Trust, UK
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Exp Cardiolog
Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (HCM) is a common inherited cardiac condition with an incidence of 1:500 patients. The most prominent feature is an increased muscle��?s growth predominantly in the septum. 75% of the cases develop significant Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction (LVOTO) either at rest or after exercise with occasionally poor quality of life and an increased mortality risk. Catheter-based alcohol ablation or surgical septal myectomy are the two options to correct the LVOTO. Internal cardiac defibrillators are indicated in selected cases. Surgical treatment for the most advanced cases has been available for decades but with variable results among centres during different eras. This is largely due to phenotypes��? variability and the complexity of the surgery. Concomitantly the number of patients pursuing a percutaneous strategy increased partially as an alternative option in complex patients; but its results again were satisfactory only in selected cases. Particularly in Europe few centres only offer dedicated expertise in the management of LVOTO but treatments available are mainly limited by local factors. This situation resulted in large number of cases continuing on medical therapy alone. However, the advancement in imaging quality and technology brought new light to the understanding of HCM. Our institution is the largest cardiothoracic medicine and surgery centre in UK offering tertiary and quaternary care including transplantation. The LVOTO Management Service takes advantage from the clinical expertise already present in all areas, from diagnostic through imaging up to surgical, percutaneous and electrophysiology therapies. A dedicated group of clinicians with HCM expertise approaches every case as a multi-disciplinary team offering patient��?s specific treatments. We will illustrate the spectrum of phenotypes treated and discuss the advantages of a dedicated LVOTO Management Service integrating all currently available therapies for HCM patients.
Maria Kalliopi Konstantinidou is a cardiothoracic surgeon with a PhD in Molecular Biology and a Master��?s in Thoracic Oncology. She is currently working at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust in London and collaborates with the Medical University of Athens. Her priority is excellence in the operating theatre with an absolute focus on overall patient wellbeing and safety. She aims to use research to advance cardiothoracic surgery and establish optimal treatment methods for everyone who may need it either at the level of genetics or through surgical procedures. Her thesis on genetic markers warning of predisposition towards coronary artery disease was presented at the World Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons. She continues the research in the field of cardiothoracic surgery and strongly believes that the free and creative exchange of insights within the medical society can lead to strides in every field of medicine.