RADIOFREQUENCY CATHETER ABLATION OF PAROXYSMAL SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA IN PATIENTS WITH CONGENITAL HEART-DISEASE

Radiofrequency catheter ablation was performed in 21 patients who had congenital heart diseases associated with accessory pathway (AP)-media ted tachycardia (14 patients), with atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentr ant tachycardia (4 patients), with intraatrial reentrant tachycardia ( 1 patient), with coexistent AP mediated tachycardia and AV nodal reent rant tachycardia (1 patient) and with coexistent AV nodal reentrant ta chycardia and atrial tachycardia (1 patient). Congenital heart disease s diagnosed were seven with Ebstein's anomaly and six with septal defe ct; the others included patent ductus arteriosus, supravalvular aortic stenosis and left superior vena cava-coronary sinus fistula. Incidenc e of multiple APs (26.7 vs. 7.7%, P = 0.027), antidromic tachycardia ( 20.0 vs. 2.9%, P = 0.011), tachyarrhythmia-related syncope (26.7 vs. 7 .2%, P = 0.022) and cardiac arrest (13.3 vs. 0%, P = 0.001) was higher in patients with AP and congential heart diseases. Longer procedure ( 3.9 +/- 0.7 vs. 2.4 +/- 1.3 h for AP, P = 0.001; 3.0 +/- 0.7 vs. 2.5 /- 0.8 h for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, P = 0.001), and radiation exposure times (102 +/- 27 vs. 35 +/- 23 min for AP, P = 0.001; 62 +/ - 23 vs. 20 +/- 11 min for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, P = 0.001) were necessary to achieve a high success rate (95%) in patients with c ongential heart disease.