Clinical spectrum and prognostic factors of pediatric ventricular tachycardia.
BACKGROUND
There have been no studies on the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of pediatric ventricular tachycardia (VT).


RESULTS
Eighty-one patients with pediatric VT were studied retrospectively at a single center. The median follow-up period was 6.0 years (0.7-23.5 years). Patients were categorized into 6 groups: idiopathic VT (IVT, n=37), catecholaminergic polymorphic VT (CPVT, n=10), congenital heart disease-associated VT (n=15), myocarditis-associated VT (n=8), cardiomyopathy-associated VT (CMP-VT, n=5) and miscellaneous. The age distribution of VT had 2 peaks (infant and teenager). VT with left bundle branch block configuration was more frequently nonsustained than VT with right bundle branch block configuration (61% vs 8%). Although 22% were asymptomatic, 38% experienced syncope or seizure and 16% had cardiac arrest. The overall mortality rate was 7.4%. The expected life span without cardiac arrest was <4 years in the CMP-VT group and the 10-year survival rate in CPVT patients was approximately 55%. Onset at infancy, monomorphic type and transcatheter/surgical ablation were related to the successful resolution of VT. Logistic regression analysis revealed that CPVT, CMP-VT, polymorphic VT and sustained VT were significantly correlated with death or cardiac arrest.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical features and prognosis of pediatric VT differed with the VT type, clinical categories and onset age. Accurate diagnosis and proper treatment according to the clinical categories may improve the outcome.
Song
Mi-Kyoung
MK
Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
Baek
Jae-Suk
JS
Kwon
Bo-Sang
BS
Kim
Gi-Beom
GB
Bae
Eun-Jung
EJ
Noh
Chung-Il
CI
Choi
Jung-Yun
JY
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult