Epsilon wave in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
Epsilon wave is a major criteria for arrhythmogenic right ventricular (RV) dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C). We sought to study systematically characteristics of Epsilon wave in ARVD/C patients from the southern Chinese population.


METHODS
The population included 49 patients with ARVD/C meeting the diagnostic criteria. They were analyzed for the value of different electrocardiogram (ECG) criteria including Epsilon wave, the ones of 24-hour Holter recording, signal-averaged ECG, and echocardiography to learn the correlation between Epsilon wave and other variability with the use of nonparametric test. A probability value of < or =0.05 was considered significantly different.


RESULTS
It shown that the detection rate of Epsilon wave was significantly higher in probands (65%) than involved family members (22%), P = 0.03. In the conventional as well as Fontaine leads, its detection rate were 18 (37%) and 28 (57%), respectively. The prevalence of diffuse right ventricle involvement, T-wave inversion and signal-averaged ECG are significantly different between the ARVD/C patients with Epsilon wave and without Epsilon wave.


CONCLUSIONS
It is significantly correlated between Epsilon wave and the progressive ARVD/C.
Wu
Shulin
S
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong, China. shulinwu8888@yahoo.cn
Wang
Peining
P
Hou
Yueshuang
Y
Yang
Pingzhen
P
Xiao
Yanping
Y
Zhan
Xianzhang
X
D000328:Adult; D019571:Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*