A congenital form of junctional ectopic tachycardia

Accessory pathways have been described as well as their Ecg identification criteria also in pediatric population. Radiofrequency ablation is a curative treatment but its application has been more limited in the paediatric population. The congenital form of junctional ectopic tachycardia was firstly described by Coumel et al. in 1976. It usually occurs in the first six months of life presenting as a persistent sustained form, lasting up to 90% of the time and it is hampered by high mortality. Its clinical presentation may be dramatic, being associated in up to 60% of cases with cardiomegaly and/or heart failure. Secondary dilated cardiomyopathy, ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death have also been reported. We present a case of congenital form of junctional ectopic tachycardia in a 12-day-old newborn infant. Also this case is illustrative of the congenital form of junctional ectopic tachycardia. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.