Longitudinal dissociation within the reentry pathway of ventricular tachycardia.
Two cases of nonsustained, repetitive ventricular tachycardia are analyzed. In both, the episodes of tachycardia do not contain random numbers of beats, but the complexes in each phase of tachycardia are either always in even numbers (case 1) or always in odd numbers (case 2). This indicates longitudinal dissociation within the reentry circuit: i.e., there are two functionally separate pathways in some part of the reentry circuit, and the reciprocating impulse runs alternatively through the two pathways. Tachycardia ends due to block of the impulse always in the same pathway, thus, the number of beats in each episode of tachycardia is always either in odd or even numbers.
Satullo
G
G
Istituto Pluridisciplinare di Clinica Medica, Università di Messina, Italy.
Oreto
G
G
Donato
A
A
Ferrara
M C
MC
Luzza
F
F
Coglitore
S
S
D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000503:physiopathology*