The most common site of success and its predictors in radiofrequency catheter ablation of the slow atrioventricular nodal pathway in children.

Background: Locating ablation targets on the slow pathway in children as one would in adults may not accommodate the dimensional changes of Koch's triangle that occur with heart growth. We investigated the most common site of success and the effect of a variety of variables on the outcome of slow pathway ablation in children.

Methods: A total of 116 patients (ages 4-16 years) with structurally normal hearts underwent radiofrequency ablation of either the antegrade or the retrograde slow pathway.

Clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of fasciculoventricular fibers in children.

Introduction: Fasciculoventricular (FV) fiber is a rare cause for ventricular preexcitation. It is usually described as an innocent bystander pathway. There is only limited data on FV fiber in children.

Carvedilol in children with cardiomyopathy: 3-year experience at a single institution.

Background: Carvedilol reduces mortality and hospitalization in adults with congestive heart failure. Limited information is available about its use in children.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 24 children with dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular ejection fraction of View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Effects of a blocked atrial beat on the atrioventricular nodal recovery property in patients with dual nodal pathways.

Dual AVN physiology can be demonstrated by a variety of maneuvers. To determine whether AVN recovery times following a blocked extrastimulus facilitate or obscure detection of dual AVN physiology, 11 patients (9-17 years) were studied with dual AVN pathways by using single and double atrial extrastimuli. With a single atrial extrastimuli, the premature atrial stimulus (A2) was coupled to basic atrial beats (A1).

Multiple accessory pathways in pediatric patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

The characteristics of multiple accessory pathways in children have not been previously studied. Records were reviewed of 317 consecutive pediatric patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who underwent electrophysiologic study and radiofrequency catheter ablation at our institution. Twenty-eight patients (9%) had multiple pathways (a total of 64 pathways: 21 patients had 2, 6 had 3, and 1 patient had 4 pathways).

Usefulness of tissue Doppler echocardiography for evaluating ventricular function in children without heart disease.

Tissue Doppler echocardiographic imaging (TDI) is a novel method for accurately evaluating ventricular function. Currently, scant data are available on the distribution of tissue Doppler indexes in healthy children in the age range of 1 to 18 years. The aims of this study were to assess the distribution of tissue Doppler indexes of systolic and diastolic ventricular function in healthy children, to assess the influence of age on these indexes, and to compare them with conventional Doppler indexes.

Quantitative assessment of the recovery property of atriofascicular/atrioventricular-type Mahaim fiber.

Introduction: One of the characteristics of the Mahaim fiber is that it possesses a decremental property related to the slow rate of recovery of its excitability similar to that of AV node. The aim of this study was to evaluate the recovery property of the atriofascicular/atrioventricular-type Mahaim fiber and compare it with that of the AV node.

Methods And Results: Nine patients with a Mahaim fiber were studied; 8 of the patients had atriofascicular/atrioventricular-type fiber.