Is the 12-lead electrocardiogram during antidromic circus movement tachycardia helpful in predicting the ablation site in atriofascicular pathways?

AIMS: Unlike in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, there has been no systematic study on the role of the pre-excitation pattern in predicting the ablation site in patients with atriofascicular (AF) pathways. We assessed in a large cohort the value of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) during antidromic tachycardia (ADT) to predict the site of ablation.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-five patients were studied, 23 males (51%), mean age of 27 ± 12 years with 46 AF pathways and 48 ADT using the AF pathway for A-V conduction. Inclusion required induction of a sustained ADT and successful ablation. Ablation site was assessed during LAO 45° projection and clockwise classified as hours in posteroseptal, posterolateral, lateral, anterolateral, and anteroseptal tricuspid annulus as follows: 05:00-07:00, >07:00-08:00, >08:00-09:00, >09:00-11:00, and >11:00-13:00 o'clock. The QRS axis was assessed during ADT and classified as normal (>+15°), horizontal (+15° to -30°), and superior (<-30°). During ADT axis was superior (-57° ± 10°) in 15 (31%), horizontal (-11° ± 14°) in 22 (46%), and normal (+45° ± 16°) in 11 (23%) patients. The correct ablation site did not differ between the different groups of QRS axis. QRS width during ADT was narrower in patients with a normal when compared with a horizontal and leftward axis (127 ± 14 vs. 145 ± 12 ms, P < 0.0001), and the V-H interval was shorter (4 ± 3 ms vs. 19 ± 22 ms, P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS: There was no correlation between the AF pathway ablation site and the QRS axis during ADT. The 12-lead ECG during maximal pre-excitation does not predict the proper site of tricuspid annulus ablation in patients with A-V conduction over an AF pathway.