[Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in a child: an often unrecognized diagnosis].
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia is important to be diagnosed as an underlying disease in children with syncope and normal heart, because of its poor prognosis.


METHODS
A 3-year-old boy was referred for stress and emotion induced syncope. Primary ventricular arrhythmia, consisting of salvos of bidirectional ventricular tachycardia, was reproducibly induced by physical exertion. The syncopal events and severe arrhythmia disappeared with beta-blocking therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite its rare occurrence, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia is an important cause of stress and emotion induced syncope and sudden death in children.
Massin
M
M
Département universitaire de pédiatrie, CHR citadelle, université de Liège, 1, boulevard du 12e-de-Ligne, 4000 Liège, Belgique. Martial.Massin@chrcitadelle.be
Leroy
P
P
Misson
J P
JP
Lepage
P
P
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D013575:Syncope / Q000209:etiology*; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D016171:Torsades de Pointes
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D002395:Catecholamines