About us
 

The Georgian Interntional Society of Cardiomyopathy was founded on April 30, 2001. Mamanti Rogava,   .   MD – president-elect of the Society, is a pioneer of echocardiography in Georgia, senior scientific worker of Department of Cardiomyopathy and Heart Ischemic Disease in National Center of Therapy. Academician, Prof. Nodar Kipshidze    – honorary chairman of the Society. Dr. Kakha Nadarya – exacutive director of the Society, secretary – Dr. Manana Gudushauri  . Leading specialists, including Academician Irakli Chumburidze, Akademician Lado Bachutashvili, Akademician Pridon Todua, Prof. Vakhtang Chumburidze, Prof. Dimitri Tsiskarishvili, Prof. Vakhtang Meunargia, Prof. Tengiz Tsertsvadze, Alexandre Papitashvili, Giorgi Didava, Karaman Paghava, Nugzar Uberi, Giorgi Chakhunashvili, Ketevan Nemsadze and others are the Board-members of the Society.

Prof. Nodar Kipshidze,   the Director of the Scientific Research Institute of Therapy now National Center of Therapy is an outstanding physician and scientists, well-known all over the world. , , , , , The institute was bounded 40 years ago, and a Department  of Cardiomyopathy and Ischemic Heart Disease was opened in 1979 under the initiative of Prof. N. Kipshidze, who is the head of the department since then. The idea of the existence of such a department and its main field of scientific research was supported by a famous English cardiologist and scientist Prof. P. Goodwin in the 1977, , .  Prof. Goodwin himself visited the Department and got familiarized with the work carried out during his staying in Georgia. Academician N. Kipshidze and his co-workers were the first, who studied viral myocarditis, as one of the diseases, that precede dilated cardiomyopathy – the fact which today is recognized by the leading cardiologists of the world.

The Department critically studies and analyses new therapeutic approaches and the last results achieved at the leading hospitals of the world,  and implement them in everyday practice. Already existed problems are approached from the new angles and original ways of treatment and research era used. The Department, which was the first among other clinics (e.g. Kiev, Moscow) that started to work on this problem, today still successfully continues its activity.
The main fields of research are: elaboration of criteria for differential diagnostics and new approaches to treatment of heart disease; secondary prevention of viral myocarditis and cardiomyopathy (dilated/hypertrophic) and atherosclerotic complications. Clinical and experimental studies carried out at the Department and in collaboration with other centers; data on acute viral myocarditis and cardiomyopathy accumulated on hundreds of patients indicate that cardiotropic viruses (Coxsackie B and others) together with genetic markers may cause viral myocarditis transition to delated cardiomyopathy. These findings are supported by the results achieved in many leading centers of the world. To evaluate clinical condition and neurologic status, as well as for diagnosis, evaluation of the disease severity and prognosis modern, highly technological diagnostic methods are used. The Department actively participates in International Workshops and Symposia on viral myocarditis, dilated and hypertropic cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension and heart failure. The Department  was a co-organizer of one Trans-Union (1984( and two Satellite Symposia (1988, 1991). 
A large number of scientific works and monographes were published. The Department has strong and fruitful contacts with foreign colleagues.
Activities, carried out by the Department for many years, result in foundation of the International Society of Cadiomyopathy, that unites physicians working in the different fields. 

Statistical data on cardiomyopathy and viral myocarditis, due to well-known reasons do not exist in Georgia today. To fill the existing gap, for the last 15 years systematically perform retrospective analysis of the data on viral myocarditis and cardiomyopathy accumulated at the cardiologic, neurologic and pediatric hospitals of the city of Tbilisi.