Significance of minimal preexcitation in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Abstract

The degree of preexcitation in the Wolff-ParkinsonWhite (WPW) syndrome depends on the relative degree of ventricular activation through the accessory pathway and the atrioventricular nodal system. A minimal preexcitation pattern may be related to rapid conduction over the normal atrioventricular conduction system, delayed intraatrial conduction to the atrial insertion of the accessory pathway, slower conduction over the accessory pathway, or a combination of these factors. We hypothesized that a minimal preexcitation pattern generally reflects a longer intraatrial conduction time and may be of value in localizing a pathway to the left lateral region. This study examined the incidence of minimal preexcitation pattern and its potential as an electrocardiographic pathway-localizing feature in patients with WPW syndrome.