Restrictive cardiomyopathy

Restrictive cardiomyopathy, abbreviated RCM, is a form of cardiomyopathy in which the walls of the heart are rigid but not thickened. Because the walls cannot stretch, the heart is restricted in filling with blood properly. It is the least common of the three original subtypes of cardiomyopathy, the other two being hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy. The Wikipedia lead also warns that it should not be confused with constrictive pericarditis, a disease that presents in a similar way but differs greatly in treatment and prognosis. The record here is the classification and the distinction the source draws, and this entry is not medical advice.