J Korean Pediatr Soc.  1998 Sep;41(9):1243-1249.

Prevalence and Clinical Features of Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW)-Type Ventricular Preexcitation Syndrome in Children

• Kim BJ
• Ma JS

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to establish the prevalence and clinical features of WPW- type ventricular preexcitation syndrome in children.
METHODS
Eighteen patients were discovered by the mass heart disease screening using ECG on 47,691 elementary school children in Kwangju from September 1992 to December 1994 (group 1), and 14 patients were diagnosed at the Department of Pediatrics, Chonnam University Hospital from 1991 to August 1995 (group 2). We retrospectively reviewed patients' medical records.
RESULTS
The prevalence rate was 4 per 10,000 elementary school children and there was no sexual difference. All patients in group 1 were asymptomatic, but 5 patients in group 2 had symptoms related to tachyarrhythmias. Three patients with WPW syndrome and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation have been well without recurrence of tachyarrhythmias during the follow-up period of 29-45 months. Two cases in group 2 had structural cardiac lesion (ventricular septal defect in 1, mitral valve prolapse in 1).
CONCLUSION
The prevalence rate of Koreans was lower than that of foreigners. The radiofrequency catheter ablation seemed to be relatively safe and effective for the treatment of atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia utilizing accessory pathway in childhood patients if this procedure is technically feasible. However, continuous longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate the long-term natural history and prognosis of the WPW-type ventricular preexcitation syndrome.

Keyword

Prevalence; Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; Children

MeSH Terms

Catheter Ablation
Child*
Electrocardiography
Emigrants and Immigrants
Follow-Up Studies
Gwangju
Heart Diseases
Humans
Jeollanam-do
Longitudinal Studies
Mass Screening
Medical Records
Mitral Valve Prolapse
Natural History
Pediatrics
Pre-Excitation Syndromes*
Prevalence*
Prognosis
Recurrence
Retrospective Studies
Tachycardia
Tachycardia, Supraventricular
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome