Significance of vectorcardiogram in the cardiological diagnosis of the 21st century.

Until the mid-1980s, it was believed that the vectorcardiogram presented a greater specificity, sensitivity and accuracy in comparison to the conventional electrocardiogram, in the diagnosis of the different heart diseases. Recent studies revealed that the vectorcardiogram still is superior to the electrocardiogram in very specific situations, such as in the evaluation of electrically inactive areas, in intraventricular conduction disorders combined and/or in association to inactive areas, in the identification and location of ventricular preexcitation, in the differential diagnosis of patterns varying from normal of electrical axis deviation, in the evaluation of particular aspects of Brugada syndrome, and in the estimation of the severity of some enlargements, among others. With the advent of computerized vectorcardiography, a technology that improves the processing and recording method; a future still promising is expected for this methodology.

Is there an overlap between Brugada syndrome and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia?

The Brugada syndrome is a congenital syndrome displaying an autosomal dominant mode of transmission in patients with a structurally normal heart. The disease has been linked to mutations in SCN5A , a gene located on the short arm of chromosome 3 (p21-24) that encodes for the alpha subunit of the sodium channel. The syndrome is characterized by a dynamic ST-segment elevation (accentuated J wave) in leads V 1 to V 3 of the ECG followed by negative T wave.