Pre-excitation syndrome

Pre-excitation syndrome
Electrical conduction system of the heart. (Accessory pathways not shown.) Sinoatrial node Atrioventricular node Bundle of His Left bundle branch Left posterior fascicle Left-anterior fascicle Left ventricle Ventricular septum Right ventricle Right bundle branch
Classification and external resources
Specialty	cardiology

Pre-excitation syndrome is an abnormal heart rhythm in which the ventricles of the heart become depolarized too early, which leads to their partial premature contraction.

Pathophysiology

Normally, the atria and the ventricles are electrically isolated, and electrical contact between them exists only at the "atrioventricular node". In all pre-excitation syndromes, at least one more conductive pathway is present. Physiologically, the normal electrical depolarization wave is delayed at the atrioventricular node to allow the atria to contract before the ventricles. However, there is no such delay in the abnormal pathway, so the electrical stimulus passes to the ventricle by this tract faster than via normal atrioventricular/bundle of His system, and the ventricles are depolarized (excited) before (pre-) normal conduction system. This creates the ventricular pacemaker type of ectopic pacemaker.

Types

Several types of pre-excitation syndrome have been described.^[1]

References

External links