Surgical treatment of ventricular tachycardia after epicardial mapping studies.
Two patients with intractable life-threatening ventricular tachycardias have been studied using intracardiac electrograms and programmed electrical stimulation of the heart. Both patients have shown to have an underlying re-entry mechanism in the ventricles as the basis for the tachycardias. Both patients underwent epicardial mapping studies at cardiac surgery, and the site of re-entry was established. In one patient the re-entry front was found to start in the posterobasal region of the left ventricle and in the other patient the re-entry front was found in the anterobasal region of the right ventricle. In both patients surgical interruption of the re-entry front was carried out. Both patients are alive and free from tachycardias at the time of writing.
D000328:Adult; D002036:Bundle of His / Q000503:physiopathology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000150:complications