Cardiomyopathy refers to heart muscle disease. Here, a diseased section of wall that separates the heart chambers that pump blood out partly blocks the flow through one of them. The condition is called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
To treat it, a catheter is inserted into the heart. It's used to apply concentrated alcohol that shrinks the diseased section. Now the heart can function normally.
Review Date 5/8/2022
Updated by: Michael A. Chen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.