title: Reversibility of left ventricular dysfunction after successful catheter ablation of supraventricular reentrant tachycardia.
abstract: Fourteen patients (mean age, 48 +/- 19 years) with left ventricular dysfunction in the absence of underlying organic heart disease underwent catheter ablation (nine with direct-current energy and five with radiofrequency energy) to treat drug-refractory, symptomatic supraventricular reentrant tachycardia (mean duration of tachycardia, 22 +/- 17 years). Clinical tachycardias were accessory pathway-mediated tachyarrhythmia (12 patients) and atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (two patients). Changes of ventricular function after successful ablation, as assessed by radionuclide ventriculography and echocardiography, showed a decrease in left ventricular end-systolic dimension (39 +/- 6 mm to 34 +/- 6 mm; 32 +/- 6 mm; p < 0.05) and in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (55 +/- 5 mm to 52 +/- 3 mm; 51 +/- 3 mm; p < 0.05) in the early (2 to 3 months) and late (6 to 8 months) follow-up periods, increase of nuclear ejection fraction (38% +/- 8% to 46% +/- 7%; p < 0.05) and fractional shortening (28% +/- 7% to 36% +/- 8%; p < 0.05) in the late follow-up period. Increase of fractional shortening was mainly due to decrease in the end-systolic dimension. These findings suggest that prolonged attacks of uncontrolled supraventricular tachycardia may result in left ventricular dysfunction, which is reversible after successful catheter ablation of the arrhythmias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Medical College, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*