Structural and Functional Characterization of the Aorta in Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

Background: Changes in the phenotype and genotype in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are thought to involve the myocardium as well as extracardiac tissues. Here, we describe the structural and functional changes in the ascending aorta of obstructive patients with HCM.

Methods: Changes in the aortic wall were studied in a cohort of 101 consecutive patients with HCM undergoing myectomy and 9 normal controls. Biopsies were examined histologically, immunohistochemically, and by electron microscopy. Changes in protein expression were quantified using morphometry and Western blotting. Pulse wave velocity was measured using cardiac magnetic resonance in 85 patients with HCM and compared with 117 age-matched normal controls.

Results: In HCM, the number of medial lamellar units was significantly decreased, associated with an increase in interlamellar distance and aortic wall thickness, as compared with controls. Electron microscopy showed an altered lamellar structure with disorientation of elastin fibers from the circumferential direction. There was a significant decrease in collagen content, α-smooth muscle actin, smooth muscle myosin, smooth muscle 22 and integrin β1, as well as a significant increase in calponin and caspase-3. Fibulins 1, 2, and 5 showed reduced expression in HCM-aortic biopsies. Functionally, pulse wave velocity was significantly higher in patients with HCM compared with healthy controls, with an association between higher pulse wave velocity and more severe molecular and clinical parameters.

Conclusions: The increased wall stiffness observed in the aortas of obstructive patients with HCM is associated with structural alterations in the medial lamellar unit, including changes in smooth muscle cells and the extracellular matrix, indicating potential arterial dysfunction.