Dual atrioventricular nodal pathways: a benign finding in arrhythmia-free children with heart disease.
The incidence and significance of dual atrioventricular (A-V) nodal pathways are described in 78 children with associated congenital or acquired heart disease. None of these patients had clinical or electrocardiographic evidence of arrhythmia. Dual A-V nodal pathways were observed in 35 percent of the preoperative group and in 33 percent of the postoperative group. Despite this substrate for A-V nodal reentry, supraventricular tachycardia was neither induced during electrophysiologic evaluation nor did it develop clinically over a follow-up period of 1 month to 15 years. It is concluded that dual A-V nodal pathways are common and may be a benign finding in arrhythmia-free children with heart disease.
D000293:Adolescent; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001283:Atrioventricular Node / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors