Restrictive cardiomyopathy

Alternative names:

cardiomyopathy - restrictive; infiltrative cardiomyopathy

Symptoms:

• excessive tiredness (fatigue)
• swelling of the abdomen
• swelling of the feet and ankles
• cough
• difficulty breathing
  • especially with exertion
  • at night
  • when lying flat

• easy fatigue (poor tolerance of exercise)

Signs and tests:

An examination may show signs of heart failure with fluid backup into the lungs or the systemic circulation (the extremities, gastrointestinal tract, and liver). The neck veins may be distended. Listening to the chest with a stethoscope (auscultation) may show lung crackles and may show abnormal or distant heart sounds.

Procedures that may indicate restrictive cardiomyopathy (by showing symmetrical thickened ventricle walls, decreased cardiac output, and/or elevated end diastolic pressure) include:

• an ECG (electrocardiogram)
• an echocardiogram
• a coronary angiography
• a chest X-ray
• a chest CT scan
• a chest MRI scan

Restrictive cardiomyopathy may be hard to differentiate from constrictive pericarditis. A biopsy of the heart muscle may be used to confirm the diagnosis. In some cases, surgical exploration is the only means to definitely distinguish restrictive cardiomyopathy from constrictive pericarditis.