Tissue doppler imaging and plasma BNP levels to assess the prognosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: In addition to sudden death, heart failure and stroke due to atrial fibrillation are important in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The aim of the present study was to determine whether Doppler tissue imaging findings and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, which are widely used for risk stratification in several cardiovascular diseases, are useful for risk stratification in patients with HCM in a regional cohort.

Methods: One hundred thirty patients (82 men; mean age, 60 ± 16 years) with HCM were enrolled in this study.