Long-term prospective study on the natural history of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome detected during a heart screening program at school.
In the period 1985 to 1993, a total of 802 school-aged children (284 first-graders and 518 seventh-graders) were referred to our hospital for further evaluation of electrocardiographic abnormalities. Among them, 57 (male 24 and female 33) children were confirmed as having Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome based on the findings of 12-lead surface electrocardiograms (ECG). According to Lindsay's criteria, the locations of the accessory pathways were as follows: Left-lateral in 10 (18%), left-posterior in 2 (4%), right-free-wall in 28 (49%), anterior-septum in 13 (23%) and posterior-septum in 3 (5%). One 12-y-old girl had multiple accessory pathways. Six patients had associated diseases: Ebstein's anomaly in 4, epilepsy in 1 and mental retardation with scoliosis in 1. Follow-up periods ranged from 2.0 to 13.0 y (mean +/- SD: 8.0 +/- 3.3 y) for 23 first-graders with WPW syndrome, and from 2.0 to 13.0y (mean +/- SD: 7.3 +/- 4.2y) for 34 seventh-graders, respectively. Initially, 5 children had at least one episode of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) by history and 6 children developed SVT during the follow-up. One girl with multiple accessory pathways and recurrent SVT required long-term drug therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
The outcome of children with WPW syndrome detected by a heart screening program at school was favorable. Our 8 y follow-up of 57 children with WPW syndrome will serve as additional information concerning the indication of radio-frequency catheter ablation therapy for WPW syndrome in children.
Inoue
K
K
Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Igarashi
H
H
Fukushige
J
J
Ohno
T
T
Joh
K
K
Hara
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy