Histologic Observations After Closed Chest Ablation of the Atrioventricular Conduction System
- Giuseppe Critelli, MD, FACC;
- John J. Gallagher, MD, FACC;
- Gaetano Thiene, MD;
- Francesco Perticone, MD;
- Vittorio Monda, MD;
- Lino Rossi, MD
- From the Institute of Clinical Medicine I, School of Medicine and Surgery II, University of Naples (Drs Critelli, Perticone, and Monda); the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (Dr Gallagher); the Institute of Pathologic Anatomy, University of Padua (Italy) (Dr Thiene); and the Institute of Pathologic Anatomy, University of Milan (Italy) (Dr Rossi).
Abstract
Postmortem examination of the heart was done in a case with disabling supraventricular tachyarrhythmia successfully treated by closed-chest ablation of the His bundle. A ventricular aneurysm developed as a result of a previous myocardial infarction, and death occurred suddenly five months after the procedure. Histologic studies of the atrioventricular (AV) junctional tissue demonstrated severe damage to the nearby AV node and penetrating His bundle. No damage to the branching His bundle or either bundle branch was observed.
(JAMA 1984;252:2604-2606)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Istituto di I Clinica Medica, II Policlinico, via S Pansini, 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy (Dr Critelli).
