Abstract
The group of cardiomyopathies has received increasing attention over the last few years after some of the causes were identified and they could be characterized more exactly using modern imaging methods. New definitions and classification schemes were regularly provided by national and international cardiac societies. The new guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) from 2023 on the management of cardiomyopathies are the first guidelines that comprehensively address all cardiomyopathies in one document. As these are new guidelines most of the recommendations are also new. An exception is the section on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which provides a targeted update of the 2014 ESC guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of HCM. The main aim of the guidelines is to provide clear guidance for the diagnosis of cardiomyopathies, to highlight general assessment and management problems and to point out the relevant scientific evidence for the recommendations to the readership. Due to the magnitude detailed descriptions and recommendations cannot be provided for each individual cardiomyopathy phenotype; however, reference is made to the relevant literature.