title: [Catheter ablation of tachyarrhythmias in children and adolescents].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Catheter ablation has been increasingly applied in children and adolescents with tachyarrhythmias. The aim of this article is to assess the results of ablation therapy of tachycardias in patients below 18 years of age at Haukeland University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  141 patients (70 boys and 71 girls, aged 5-17 (13.5 +/- 3.5 ) years with tachyarrhythmias underwent an electrophysiologic study and catheter ablation in the period 1992-2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ablation was successfully performed in 138/141 (98%) patients., The procedure was repeated (3 patients twice) until the arrhythmia substrate disappeared in 16 of 138 patients. 81/141 (57%) patients had accessory pathways; 52 (37%) had double atrioventricular nodal pathways, 48 had concealed and 33 patients had overt (classical Wolff-Parkinson-White-syndrome) atrioventricular pathways. 8 (6%) patients had other atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmias and 4 (3%) had organic heart disease. Use of a 3D mapping system was decisive for success for ablation in patients with complex cardiac diseases. Procedure-related complications were observed in 2/141 (1.4%) patients of whom one had a temporary third degree and one had a permanent first-degree atrioventricular block which did not entail further treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Catheter ablation of tachycardia in children and adolescents is a safe treatment method with a high success rate and few complications and should be preferred before drug therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institutt for indremedisin, Universitetet i Bergen.
authors.forename: Ole-Jørgen
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Ohm
authors.forename: Per Ivar
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Hoff
authors.forename: Lars Mikal
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Aasen
authors.forename: Eivind
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solheim
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Morten Kristian
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Off
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000601:surgery*; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000601:surgery; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000601:surgery