Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: where is the pathway?

A 31-year old male presented with atrial fibrillation and ventricular preexcitation that was positive in leads V1-V4, negative in lead II, and positive in lead AVR. The patient was cardioverted and invasive electrophysiologic study was performed. Based on the ECG findings, the coronary sinus and its branches were interrogated during orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia. The earliest local activation was seen in the true coronary sinus lumen at the bifurcation of the posterolateral branch. Radiofrequency energy application at this area led to loss of preexcitation. When localizing left septal and posterior accessory pathways, ventricular preexcitation that is both negative in II and positive in AVR has been shown in previous studies to be highly sensitive and specific for a subepicardial location. Therefore, investigation of the coronary sinus and its branches may allow for effective ablation without the need for left ventricular access.