title: Role of electrophysiological study and catheter ablation for recurrent ventricular tachycardia complicating myocarditis.
abstract: Here we report the case of a 31-year-old man admitted to our hospital with echocardiografic and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance signs of myocarditis complicated by ventricular tachycardia, initially resolved with direct current shock. After the recurrence of ventricular tachycardia the patient was submitted to electrophysiological study revealing a re-entrant circuit at the level of the medium segment of interventricular septum, successfully treated with transcatheter ablation. This case highlights how the presence of recurrent ventricular arrhythmias at the onset of acute myocarditis, suspected or proven, could be associated with a pre-existing arrhythmogenic substrate, therefore these patients should be submitted to electrophysiological study in order to rule out the presence of arrhythmogenic focuses that can be treated with transcatheter ablation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Heart and Vessels, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy. emanuelececchi@virgilio.it
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fatucchi
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crudeli
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giglioli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D004554:Electric Countershock; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000150:complications*; D012008:Recurrence; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy