Sustained ventricular tachycardia was induced in dogs following occlusion-reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. While dogs were supported by cardiopulmonary bypass, the left ventricle was opened and the endocardium was mapped during electrically induced ventricular tachycardia to determine the earliest site of ventricular activation. Phenol (carbolic acid) application at that site necrosed myocardium to a depth of 1 to 3 mm and prevented electrical reinduction of ventricular tachycardia in 9 of 15 dogs. These data suggest that chemical ablation may be used as an alternate means to destroy areas of myocardium involved in the genesis or maintenance of ventricular tachycardia, particularly if these areas cannot be resected surgically because of their size or location.