Update on restrictive cardiomyopathy

Patients with RCM have heart failure symptoms related to diastolic dysfunction. Unfortunately, there is no curative treatment for RCM and the prognosis is generally very poor. Cardiac transplantation is the only effective treatment. High risk of sudden cardiac death justifies early listing especially in symptomatic children. When making the diagnosis of RCM, it is crucial to rule out constrictive pericarditis which presents with a similar clinical and haemodynamic picture. Unlike RCM it can often be cured surgically.