Myocardial perfusion, oxidative metabolism, and free fatty acid uptake in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy attributable to the Asp175Asn mutation in the alpha-tropomyosin gene: a positron emission tomography study

Abstract

Background: The relationship between myocardial metabolic changes and the severity of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is largely unknown. We characterized metabolic abnormalities in patients with a genetically identical cause for HCM but with variable LV hypertrophy.

Methods and results: Eight patients with HCM attributable to the Asp175Asn mutation in the alpha-tropomyosin gene underwent myocardial perfusion, oxidative, and free fatty acid (FFA) metabolism measurements via positron emission tomography and oxygen 15-labeled water, carbon 11 acetate, and fluorine 14(R,S)-[18F] Fluoro-6-thia-heptadecanoic acid (18 FTHA). LV mass, work, and efficiency were assessed by echocardiography. Thirty-six healthy volunteers served as control subjects. Compared with control subjects, HCM patients had increased myocardial oxidative metabolism and FFA uptake (P < .05). However, in patients, LV mass was inversely related to global myocardial perfusion, oxidative metabolism, and FFA uptake (all P < .03), and regional wall thickness was inversely related to regional perfusion (P < .01), oxidative metabolism (P < .001), and FFA uptake (P < .01). Therefore patients with mild (LV mass less than median of 177 g) but not advanced LV hypertrophy were characterized by increased perfusion, oxidative metabolism, and LV efficiency as compared with control subjects (P < .05).

Conclusions: In HCM attributable to the Asp175Asn mutation in the alpha-tropomyosin gene, myocardial oxidative metabolism and FFA metabolism are increased and inversely related to LV hypertrophy at both the whole heart and regional level. Increased metabolism and efficiency characterize patients with mild myocardial hypertrophy. These hypermetabolic alterations regress with advanced hypertrophy.