Radiofrequency catheter ablation of an incessant ventricular tachycardia following valve surgery.
Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) after valve surgery represents a clinical entity with different tachycardia mechanisms. This case report describes an incessant VT after tricuspid and aortic valve replacement that did not respond to antiarrhythmic drug treatment. The tachycardia exhibited VA block and a right bundle branch block pattern with left-axis deviation, suggesting ventricular excitation via the left posterior fascicle. The electrophysiological study was limited by the prosthetic tricuspid and aortic valve replacement, therefore a transseptal approach was necessary to obtain access to the ventricular myocardium. Radiofrequency catheter ablation was performed in the proximal left bundle or distal His region with termination of the incessant VT followed by complete AV block. After pacemaker implantation using a transvenous right atrial and an epicardial ventricular lead, no VT reoccurrence could be documented.
Lewalter
Thorsten
T
Department of Medicine-Cardiology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. th.lewalter@uni-bonn.de
Jung
Werner
W
Preusse
Claus J
CJ
Lickfett
Lars
L
Wolpert
Christian
C
Yang
Alexander
A
Welz
Armin
A
Lüderitz
Berndt
B
D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000601:surgery; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000601:surgery