Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: the great masquerader. Clinical conference from the cardiology branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md.

The issues raised in this discussion serve to emphasize the clinically relevant point that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a not uncommon form of heart disease that may mimic other types of acquired or congenital heart disease, such as fixed obstruction to left ventricular outflow, coronary arterial diseases, or mitral valvular disease. The application of echocardiography has increased our awareness of the diverse clinical spectrum of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and has aided greatly in the identification of many patients with this disease, particularly those without outflow obstruction or symptoms.