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New Approaches to the Management of the Wolff‐Parkinson‐White Syndrome
Author(s) -
Tonkin A. M.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1976.tb03032.x
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiology , electrical conduction system of the heart , ventricle , electrophysiology , white (mutation) , accessory pathway , sudden death , electrocardiography , atrial fibrillation , catheter ablation , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Summary: New approaches to the management of the Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome. Pre‐excitation has been defined as “a condition in which all or some portion of the ventricular muscle is activated earlier in relation to atrial events, than would be expected had the impulse reached the ventricle by way of the normal atrioventricular conduction system”.‘ 1 The susceptibility of patients with pre‐excitation to paroxysmal tachycardias had been described many years previously. 2 The Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome was initially thought to have a relatively benign prognosis. Subsequently, it was recognised that some patients were prone to life‐threatening arrhythmias and sudden death. 3,4This recognition has given impetus to sophisticated electrophysiological study of the pre‐excitation syndromes by recently developed techniques of catheterization 56 ’ 7 , epicardial mapping 8 and surgery. 3 The purpose of this review is to highlight the recent advances in management of the Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome which have been based upon these electrophysiological techniques.