[Histological features of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

Biopsy specimens of 16 patients diagnosed by cardiac catheterization and angiography as having primary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were examined. They were categorized as apical hypertrophy type in six, septal hypertrophy type in five, and others in five. Histological examinations disclosed edema, fibrosis, disorganization and bizarre nuclei in the myocardium in all types of disease entity, and it was possible to diagnose histologically primary cardiomyopathy in three each of the apical and other types. The remaining cases, however, did not show histological findings compatible with cardiomyopathy. We concluded that primary cardiomyopathy cannot always be diagnosed by biopsy data alone, and echocardiography and angiography are essential for its diagnosis.