Interventional therapy of tachyarrhythmias in the pediatric population

Abstract

Over the past decades, interventional therapy of tachyarrhythmias in children without structural heart disease has evolved as an alternative to chronic pharmacological treatment. Catheter ablation in children over 5 years with symptomatic tachycardia using radiofrequency- or cryoenergy is nowadays performed with high success and low complication rates at experienced centers. The use of modern technologies such as non-fluoroscopic 3-dimensional mapping has further increased efficacy and safety of catheter ablation, and has led to a significant reduction of fluoroscopy time and dose.Arrhythmia substrates treated most frequently by catheter ablation in children include accessory pathways (WPW syndrome) leading to atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) and dual AV nodal pathways causing atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). Success rates of catheter ablation for these substrates during long-term follow up are over 90 %. Less common forms of tachycardias in children, such as focal atrial tachycardia, ventricular outflow tachycardias or idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia, are also amenable to catheter ablation with good long-term results. In asymptomatic children with preexcitation on the surface ECG (accessory pathway with the risk of rapid antegrade conduction during atrial fibrillation) the indication for catheter ablation of the accessory pathway for the prevention of sudden cardiac death should already be evaluated during childhood.