RCM

Medical abbreviation · Cardiology

RCM stands for Restrictive cardiomyopathy, a cardiology abbreviation.

Least common of the major cardiomyopathies, in which stiff ventricular walls fill poorly while systolic function is often near normal. Causes include amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, hemochromatosis, radiation and endomyocardial fibrosis, and the clinical picture resembles constrictive pericarditis.

Example: Biatrial enlargement, low-voltage ECG and thick walls: suspect RCM from amyloid, pyrophosphate scan ordered.

Usage notes

Separating restrictive cardiomyopathy from constrictive pericarditis matters because constriction can be cured surgically; cardiac MRI, echo respiratory variation and catheterization help. Transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis, increasingly recognized in older men, is now treatable with drugs such as tafamidis. "Low voltage despite thick walls" is a classic amyloid clue.

Related abbreviations

More cardiology abbreviations

• QRS – QRS complex
• QTc – Corrected QT interval
• RA – Right atrium
• RAD – Right axis deviation
• RBBB – Right bundle branch block
• RCA – Right coronary artery
• RFA – Radiofrequency ablation
• RHC – Right heart catheterization
• RHD – Rheumatic heart disease
• RRR – Regular rate and rhythm
• RV – Right ventricle
• RVH – Right ventricular hypertrophy

See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.