Successful treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with concomitant mitral stenosis by simultaneous surgery

Abstract

We report the case of a 61-year-old man with type B Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome associated with a right atrioventricular (AV) accessory pathway and concomitant mitral stenosis, who underwent successful operative treatment by simultaneous surgery. His preoperative course had been characterized by cardiac failure and repeated episodes of atrial tachyarrhythmia, in the form of fibrillation and flutter, which were difficult to control by conventional medication. Preoperative electrocardiograms (ECGs) had suggested that the accessory pathway was located in the right posterior to posteroseptal wall; however, at the time of surgery, epicardial electrophysiological mapping with sock electrodes revealed a preexcitation area in the AV groove at the lateral right margin of the heart. This discrepancy was thought to have been due to the presence of mitral stenosis or multiple accessory pathways. Thus, division and cryoablation of the accessory pathway by an endocardial approach, in addition to mitral valve replacement, were performed under cardiopulmonary bypass. His postoperative course was uneventful, and subsequent ECGs revealed that the delta waves had disappeared. The successful outcome of this patient demonstrates the effectiveness of simultaneous surgery for WPW syndrome associated with valvular disease.