Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an asymmetric increase in ventricular muscle mass. The ventricular septum is especially enlarged causing the left ventricle to be misshapen and obstructing the blood flow from the ventricle. Symptoms are basically those of left congestive heart failure. Coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease occurs when the interior of the vessels supplying the heart become blocked and restrict blood flow to the heart. It occurs when fatty plaques are formed inside the lumen of the arteries.
Blood clots can form at the plaque and cut off the flow of blood.
Treatments for coronary artery disease include bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and laser angioplasty. Coronary bypass surgery is very effective in treating angina. Balloon angioplasty has become a very common procedure where a catheter is introduced into an artery in the leg or arm and is guided to the blockage. A small balloon is inflated that flattens the plaque against the artery so that the vessel is opened and blood flow is restored. Laser angioplasty operates in a similar fashion except the catheter delivers an optical fiber to the blocked area.