Summary
Definition
History and exam
Key diagnostic factors
- presence of risk factors
- atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia (AVRT)
Other diagnostic factors
- palpitations
- dizziness
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- atrial fibrillation
- atrial flutter
- congenital cardiac abnormalities
- sudden cardiac death
- syncope and presyncope
- tachycardia in pregnancy
Risk factors
- Ebstein's anomaly
- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- mitral valve prolapse
- atrial septal defect
- ventricular septal defect
- transposition of great vessels
- coarctation of aorta
- dextrocardia
- coronary sinus diverticula
- right and left atrial aneurysms
- cardiac rhabdomyomas
- Marfan's syndrome
- Friedreich's ataxia
- family history
Diagnostic investigations
Investigations to consider
- echocardiogram
- treadmill exercise test
- electrophysiology study
Treatment algorithm
Contributors
Authors
Professor of Medicine
Director of Electrophysiology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore
MD
Disclosures
HC declares that he is a consultant for Medtronic and Biosense Webster; receives research support from Boston Scientific; is a contributor to Up to Date on atrial fibrillation, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and sarcoidosis; has reviewed and testified in medical malpractice cases; and has authored a chapter in the European Society of Cardiology textbook on Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Professor Hugh Calkins would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr David Frankel, Dr Mithilesh K. Das, and Dr Douglas P. Zipes, previous contributors to this topic. DF, MKD, and DPZ declare that they have no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Electrophysiology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore
MD
Disclosures
JEM declares that he has no competing interests.
Director
Electrophysiology Laboratory
The St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
New York
NY
Disclosures
SM declares that he has no competing interests.
Cardiology Specialist Registrar
The James Cook University Hospital
Middlesbrough
UK
Disclosures
AT declares that he has no competing interests.
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
University of Florida College of Medicine
Jacksonville
FL
Disclosures
SH declares that he has no competing interests.
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