Improvement in Dyssynchrony with Pharmacological Ablation of Right-Sided Accessory Pathway-Induced Cardiomyopathy in Infants

Int Heart J. 2019 Sep 27;60(5):1201-1205. doi: 10.1536/ihj.18-723. Epub 2019 Sep 4.

Abstract

Right-sided accessary pathways in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome may cause cardiac dyssynchrony and dilated cardiomyopathy, with a characteristic septal shape, irrespective of any supraventricular tachycardia episodes. We report on two infants (13 and 5 months), whose right-sided accessary pathway-induced dilated cardiomyopathy was successfully treated by flecainide for the first time. After the flecainide administration, an abnormal aneurysmal dilation of the basal interventricular septum was almost restored to normal, and the decreased ejection fraction recovered. Flecainide use may be an important therapeutic option for this entity to avoid catheter ablation during infancy.

Keywords: Na channel blocker; Preexcitation; Secondary dilated cardiomyopathy; Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accessory Atrioventricular Bundle / complications
  • Accessory Atrioventricular Bundle / diagnostic imaging*
  • Accessory Atrioventricular Bundle / drug therapy*
  • Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / diagnostic imaging*
  • Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / drug therapy
  • Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / etiology
  • Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / therapy
  • Echocardiography, Doppler / methods
  • Electrocardiography / methods
  • Female
  • Flecainide / therapeutic use*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Injections, Intravenous
  • Male
  • Risk Assessment
  • Sampling Studies
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / complications
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / diagnostic imaging*
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / physiopathology

Substances

  • Flecainide