Definition of cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy is a primary disorder of the heart muscle which causes abnormal myocardial performance. Before diagnosing cardiomyopathy, it is necessary to exclude disease of other cardiac structures like valvular heart disease and other conditions causing damage to heart muscle like myocardial infarction and systemic hypertension.
Functional classification of cardiomyopathy
Functionally, cardiomyopathies are classified into dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies.