Heart 1998;79:616-618 ( June )
Case study
Atrioventricular block occurring several months after
radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of atrioventricular nodal
re-entrant tachycardia
Department of
Cardiology, Royal Infirmary NHS Trust, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3
9WY, UK
Correspondence to: Dr Elhag.
Accepted for publication 27 November 1997
Atrioventricular (AV) block following radiofrequency (RF)
ablation for the treatment of AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is a rare but well recognised complication of the procedure
the reported incidence ranges from 1% to 21%. Almost all cases of AV
block occur during or shortly after the procedure, are transient, and
recover quickly. Two patients (a 22 year man and a 72 year old woman)
with symptomatic AV block occurring several months after slow pathway
RF ablation, requiring permanent pacemaker implantation, are described.
Both patients had had several 24 hour Holter recordings before the
procedure, and in neither case was there any evidence of intermittent
or persistent AV block. This is a rare complication with no definitive
predictors; however, all efforts should be made to exclude AV block in
patients presenting with suggestive symptoms following RF ablation.
With the wide use of RF ablation for the treatment of AVNRT, more cases
are likely to occur. A registry should allow documentation of the incidence of this complication.
© 1998 by Heart
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