title: Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia: an incessant tachycardia in children.
abstract: Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia is an infrequent form of reentrant supraventricular tachycardia but is the commonest incessant tachycardia in childhood. The persistent nature of the tachycardia can lead to heart failure secondary to left ventricular dysfunction and the arrhythmia is often refractory to drug control.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the main clinical features and therapeutic options currently available for this arrhythmia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 5 children with a diagnosis of permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age at presentation ranged between 14 days and 12 years. Three were asymptomatic. The first echocardiogram displayed left ventricular dilation and decreased shortening fraction in one child. Pharmacological therapy was initially successful in all. During follow-up (0.2-4.5 years) the arrhythmia became resistant to medication in one case and radiofrequency ablation was carried out.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia has a wide range of clinical presentations. Pharmacological therapy is recommended, but radiofrequency ablation is the definitive treatment and only depends on patient age.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Cardiologia Pediátrica, Hospital de Santa Marta, Lishoa. cardioped@hsmarta.min-saude.pt
authors.forename: Conceição
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trigo
authors.forename: Anabela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paixão
authors.forename: Manuel Nogueira
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Sashicanta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaku
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents