Successful catheter ablation in a patient with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2000 Jun;11(6):682-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-8167.2000.tb00031.x.

Abstract

We describe a patient with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT)/ventricular fibrillation (VF) without organic heart disease who was cured by radiofrequency catheter ablation. The patient was a 65-year-old woman with a 10-year history of recurrent syncope. There was no evidence of organic heart disease, and the QT interval during sinus rhythm was borderline normal (corrected QT interval = 0.45 sec1/2). ECG recording during syncope showed PVT. On one occasion, PVT degenerated into VF. This PVT was always induced by a premature ventricular complex (PVC) originating from the right ventricular (RV) outflow tract. Rapid pacing (220 beats/min) at the site of PVC origin reproduced polymorphic change of the QRS wave on surface ECG that was similar to PVT. This suggests that the PVT originated from a single focus in the RV outflow tract. Catheter ablation was performed at the site of PVC origin. During 18-month follow-up, PVT/VF was not documented.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Catheter Ablation*
  • Electrocardiography
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Tachycardia, Ventricular / physiopathology*
  • Tachycardia, Ventricular / surgery*