Supraventricular electrical interaction in conjoined twins with common coronary sinus.
Conjoined twins with echocardiographic evidence of continuity of the coronary sinuses had identical heart rates on ECG. Both had broad, polyphasic QRS complexes, and various imaging modalities were unable to determine whether there was ventricular myocardial continuity. Administration of adenosine demonstrated that the broad polyphasic complexes were a "fusion" of the twins' individual QRS complexes, which could be clearly distinguished after administration of the drug. Ventricular pacing resulted in dissociation of the individual QRS complexes, thus demonstrating an absence of ventricular myocardial continuity. This was confirmed when the twins were successfully separated at the age of 10 months.
Hornung
T S
TS
Adolph Basser Cardiac Institute, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia.
Sholler
G F
GF
Lau
K C
KC
D000241:Adenosine; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D014428:Twins, Conjoined / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D000241:Adenosine