SUSTAINED MONOMORPHIC VENTRICULAR-TACHYCA RDIA IN NONINVASIVE HEART-DISEASE

Sustained ventricular tachycardia in the absence of coronary artery di sease is mainly observed in diffuse left ventricular cardiomyopathy es pecially dilated but sometimes hypertrophic, and in right sided cardio myopathies such as ventricular dysplasia, more difficult to diagnose. More rarely, other localised abnormalities, mitral valve prolapse, car diac tumour and idiopathic aneurysm, may give rise to this arrhythmia. Irrespective of the case, sustained ventricular tachycardia carries a poor prognosis during the most advanced stages of a myocardial diseas e. The therapeutic strategy remains the same as that of other cases of sustained ventricular tachycardia, drug therapy generally orientated by the results of programmed ventricular stimulation with the exceptio n of Class I antiarrhythmics when the ejection fraction is under 30 %, and non-pharmacological methods when drug therapy fails.