Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jul 1989
Nonischemic sustained ventricular tachycardia: clinical outcome in 12 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.
The clinical course and long-term follow-up of 12 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia causing ventricular tachycardia are presented. No patient had a history of congestive heart failure and the cardiothoracic ratio measured less than or equal to 0.5 in all patients. All 12 patients were symptomatic during ventricular tachycardia; syncope occurred in 4. ⋯ Recurrence of symptomatic and documented sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia occurred in eight patients and could not be predicted by results of long-term ECG monitoring, treadmill exercise testing or programmed stimulation. In conclusion, despite recurrence of ventricular tachycardia, patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia have a favorable outcome when treated medically. Noninvasive studies (imaging techniques, ambulatory ECG monitoring and exercise testing) provide data that may be sufficient in diagnosing arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia.