Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inheritable cardiac disorder present in approximately 1 in 500 adults in the general population.<sup>30 Maron B.J., Gardin J.M., Flack J.M. , e al. Prevalence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a general population of young adults: Echocardiographic analysis of 4111 subjects in the CARDIA study Circulation 1995 ;  92 : 785-789

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti</sup> Disease-related symptoms (i.e., dyspnea, angina, palpitations, and syncope) may co-exist with left ventricular (LV) outflow tract obstruction, in which reduction or elimination remains an important target of current therapeutic modalities. Established treatments include negative inotropic agents, such as β-blockers, calcium-channel antagonists, and disopyramide. For those patients with obstruction and symptoms refractory to pharmacotherapy, surgical intervention, in the form of septal myotomy-myectomy, represents the “gold standard” therapy.

Dual chamber pacing has been proposed as an alternative to surgery in the management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Reports have documented hemodynamic and symptomatic benefit from dual chamber pacing, raising the question of whether or not all patients with drug-refractory symptoms should undergo a trial of pacing before consideration of surgery. The enthusiasm for pacing in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has generated a number of investigations addressing this issue, including several recently concluded clinical trials. This article reviews the recent experience with dual chamber pacing in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.