Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Background

• Restrictive cardiomyopathy is the least common form of cardiomyopathy.
• It occurs in the advanced stages of myocardial infiltrative disease — e.g. due to haemochromatosis, amyloidosis or sarcoidosis.
• Diffuse myocardial infiltration leads to low voltage QRS complexes.
• Atrial fibrillation may occur due to atrial enlargement; ventricular arrhythmias are also common.
• Infiltration of the cardiac conducting system (e.g. due to septal granuloma formation in sarcoidosis) may lead to conduction disturbance — e.g. bundle branch blocks and AV block.
• Healing granulomas in sarcoidosis may produce “pseudo-infarction” Q waves.

Electrocardiographic Features

ECG Example

Low QRS voltage

Related Topics

• Low QRS voltage
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Further Reading

• ECG BASICS – Waves, Intervals, Segments and Clinical Interpretation
• ECG CLINICAL CASES – Your favourite ECG’s placed in clinical context with a challenging Q&A approach
• ECG and Cardiology Eponymous Syndromes – Cheats guide to eponymous emancipation
• ECG Reference Sites on the WEB – the best of the rest

Author Credits

• Words – Ed Burns
• Pictures – Ed Burns
• Web Editing – Ed Burns

References

• Chan TC, Brady WJ, Harrigan RA, Ornato JP, Rosen P. ECG in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care. Elsevier Mosby 2005.
• Edhouse J, Thakur RK, Khalil JM. ABC of clinical electrocardiography. Conditions affecting the left side of the heart. BMJ. 2002 May 25;324(7348):1264-7. Review. PubMed PMID: 12028984; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1123219 [