Asymptomatic ventricular pre-excitation in children.
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study was planned for a good risk assessment of asymptomatic patients affected by ventricular pre-excitation.


METHODS
From 1985 to 2007, 124 patients with an atrioventricular pathway (electrocardiographic signs of ventricular pre-excitation) were admitted to our cardiology division. The average age was 7 years (range 1 month to 18 years). The mean follow-up period in the whole population of patients was 4.2 years (range 1-13 years). Four patients were lost during the follow-up. During this period, all patients remained in good health. In all of them, we performed a Holter evaluation every year. An intermittent pathway was detected in 18 patients (15%), and four of them (3.4%) showed a supraventricular tachycardia even though they were asymptomatic patients. An ergometric test was performed in 76 asymptomatic patients; 16 children (21%) showed a total abrupt vanishing of delta wave. A transoesophageal electrophysiological evaluation was performed in 14 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
According to our data, asymptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in children has a good outcome during a short-term (4 years) follow-up. The usefulness of electrophysiological evaluation (in particular its predictive value) is uncertain.
Fazio
Giovanni
G
Department of Cardiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Giovanni.fazio-aaaa@poste.it
Mossuto
Claudia
C
Basile
Ivana
I
Gennaro
Francesca
F
D'Angelo
Luciana
L
Visconti
Claudia
C
Ferrara
Filippo
F
Novo
Giuseppina
G
Pipitone
Salvatore
S
Novo
Salvatore
S
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology