The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 104, 1045-1052, Copyright © 1992 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Quantitation of mapping uncertainty in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Implications for anatomic characterization and surgical division of accessory atrioventricular connections
WL Holman, JK Kirklin and AD Pacifico
Department of Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham.
The purpose of this study was to quantitate the uncertainty inherent in the
electrophysiologic mapping of ventricular preexcitation as seen in
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. An ink-coated needle electrode was
constructed to serve as a point source of unipolar stimulation along the
atrioventricular junction. Activation times for 11 ventricular mapping
sites at the atrioventricular junction were measured for each stimulation
point. Maps were successfully completed for 18 right free wall and 14
posterior septal stimulation points. The activation time at the mapping
site closest to the stimulation point was termed the index activation time.
Activation times identical to the index activation time were noted at 1.3
+/- 0.5 mapping sites for each free wall stimulation point and 1.9 +/- 0.9
mapping sites for each septal stimulation point (p < 0.05, septal versus
free wall stimulation points). Activation times falling within 5 msec of
the index activation time were noted at 2.4 +/- 1.0 mapping sites for each
free wall stimulation point and at 3.9 +/- 1.4 mapping sites for each
septal stimulation point (p < 0.05, septal versus free wall stimulation
points). The uncertainty of electrophysiologic mapping can be quantitated,
and this error should be considered when making inferences regarding the
anatomy of accessory pathways based on electrophysiologic data. A knowledge
of the uncertainty inherent in the localization of accessory
atrioventricular connections by electrophysiologic mapping can be used to
plan borders of surgical dissection that will account for this uncertainty
at a 95% confidence level.