HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Francis Fynn-Thompson Daniel J. DiBardino Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Atallah, J. Articles by Berul, C. I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Atallah, J. Articles by Berul, C. I. Related Collections Electrophysiology - arrhythmias

---

Original Articles: Pediatric Cardiac

Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Cardiac Denervation: A Potential Novel Therapeutic Option for Children With Intractable Ventricular Arrhythmias

^a Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
^b Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Accepted for publication July 1, 2008.

^_* Address correspondence to Dr Berul, Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Email: charles.berul{at}cardio.chboston.org).

Background: Left cardiac sympathetic denervation is one of the therapeutic modalities used in the management of patients with medically refractory long QT syndrome. Traditionally, a thoracotomy or cervical incision has been used as the standard surgical approach for performing left cardiac sympathetic denervation. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery allows a minimally invasive technique. There is only one published series on the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for left cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with long QT syndrome.

Methods: We performed a retrospective clinical review of pertinent medical records and report a series including 9 pediatric patients (4 long QT syndrome, 4 catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and 1 idiopathic ventricular tachycardia) who underwent a left cardiac sympathetic denervation by means of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Results: There were no severe complications, and 6 of 7 symptomatic patients with available follow-up experienced marked improvement in the first month after sympathectomy.

Conclusions: This minimally invasive procedure provides a safe novel therapeutic option for children with drug-refractory catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and other catecholamine-triggered arrhythmias.