title: Localization of cardiac arrhythmias: conventional noninvasive methods.
abstract: Noninvasive localization of the accessory pathway (AP) in patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and of the site of origin of ventricular tachycardia (VT) is reviewed. 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) is the most readily available method for localization of both the AP and the site of VT origin. Many published ECG criteria are introduced. The application of body surface potential mapping, vectorcardiography, nuclear phase imaging, echocardiography, computed tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and signal-averaged ECG in the localization of these arrhythmogenic substrates is also described. We believe that ECG is the most sensitive noninvasive method for AP localization as well as being convenient and simple; it may be used as the only noninvasive method for the initial evaluation. The left lateral AP, which occurs with an incidence of more than 40%, could be localized preoperatively by noninvasive methods only. For localization of the site of VT origin, none of the noninvasive methods is accurate enough for guiding the surgical and catheter-mediated ablative therapies so far.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blomström
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pehrson
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Olsson
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D015635:Radionuclide Ventriculography; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology