[Catheter ablation of tachyarrhythmias in children and adolescents].
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.
Ohm
Ole-Jørgen
OJ
Institutt for indremedisin, Universitetet i Bergen.
Hoff
Per Ivar
PI
Aasen
Lars Mikal
LM
Solheim
Eivind
E
Schuster
Peter
P
Off
Morten Kristian
MK
Chen
Jian
J
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