Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome

In the normal heart, the AV node is the only electrical connection between the atria and ventricles. With WPW, the heart has an extra "nerve, pathway or wire" which we call an " accessory pathway" that electrically connects the atrium to the ventricle. It is present from birth but may not detected or cause any problems with tachycardia until later in life. Many WPW patients may not ever experience heart problems from this abnormal nerve and may not even know they have until it is detected by a doctor. This pathway is in the wall of the heart and can be located anywhere on the right, left, front or back walls. Many people have more than one accessory pathway. People with WPW may experience tachycardia attacks because the electrical impulse gets trapped in an electrical circuit that travels in a large circle between the normal AV node and the accessory pathway. This can cause the heart to race up to 150 - 300 beats per minute. The tachycardia attacks start suddenly without warning and there is often no obvious cause. The feeling of the heart pounding in the chest or neck can be associated with lightheadedness, chest pain and sometimes a blackout. Rarely, WPW can cause the heart to race rapidly and dangerously out of control.


          
Wolf-Parkinson-White

Catheter ablation of WPW syndrome involves destroying the accessory pathway. The EP study determines the number of extra pathways and the location of each. The ablation catheter is then inserted and used to carefully map the heart to precisely locate each pathway. Each time that the catheter locates an extra pathway and is placed next against it, ablation energy is delivered.

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