The anatomical substrates of wolff-parkinson-white syndrome. A clinicopathologic correlation in seven patients.

Abstract

Clinicopathological correlations were made on the hearts from seven patients known to have exhibited electrocardiographic evidence of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. In each case, clinical and pathological investigations were conducted independently, neither group of investigators having knowledge of the other's results. In all seven hearts, the entire atrioventricular junctions were serially sectioned. Accessory atrioventricular connections were predicted in all seven cases following electrocardiographic investigation. Connections were identified histopathologically in four hearts in the predicted site. In another case two connections were identified, one being considered responsible for the pre-excitation. In the sixth case a right lateral connection was anticipated, but only accessory nodo-ventricular fibers were identified following histopathologic studies. In the final case, a posterior septal connection was predicted but the entire septum had fibrosed following previous operation. These findings are discussed in the light of the investigative techniques used, the theories of pre-excitation and the embryogenetic mechanisms producing accessory atrioventricular connections.