Diagnosis and management of ventricular tachycardia in children

Abstract

Abnormal ventricular rhythm in children can consist of premature ventricular contractions or ventricular tachycardia; these conditions are serious and require accurate diagnosis and careful evaluation to determine appropriate therapy. These children can present with structurally normal hearts, abnormal muscle conditions, myocardial inflammation or ventricular tumors. The diagnostic evaluation varies according to the presenting arrhythmia, and can include exercise stress testing, echocardiography, 24-h ambulatory monitoring, endomyocardial biopsy, and invasive electrophysiological testing. The treatment methods are dependent on the cause of the rhythm and include no treatment (in the case of benign premature ventricular contractions), antiarrhythmic drug therapy, corticosteroid drug treatment, and/or cryothermic surgical ablation.