Antidromic and orthodromic reciprocating tachycardias over a novel left-sided accessory pathway involving the vein of Marshall and coronary sinus musculature

INTRODUCTION

Herein, we present a rare case of the successful ablation of an accessory pathway (AP) involving the Marshall Bundle (MB) and coronary sinus musculature (CSM) in a 40-year-old man with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

METHODS AND RESULTS

An orthodromic reciprocating tachycardia (ORT) was inducible with the earliest atrial activation site located at the posterolateral mitral annulus. The local conduction and the cycle length of ORT was prolonged by peri-mitral ablation; however, it failed to block the AP. The atrial insertion of the AP was identified by remapping during ORT at the left atrial ridge, which was away from the mitral annulus, where ablation was successful. Together with the electrophysiological findings in CSM potentials, we conclude that the epicardial MB-CSM connection functioned as the AP in this patient.

CONCLUSION

The novel variant form of AP comprised of MB and CSM should be noted. The atrial insertion of the MB may be the target of catheter ablation.

A case of accessory pathway between the coronary sinus musculature and the left ventricle

A 64-year-old female underwent catheter ablation of long R-P' tachycardia. Ventricular pacing exhibited retrograde conduction with an identical atrial activation sequence as during tachycardia because of an accessory pathway (AP) with a long VA conduction. A radiofrequency application within the posterior coronary sinus (CS) could achieve a change of activation pattern from distal-to-proximal to proximal-to-distal within CS proximal to the ablation site, caused by conduction block of CS musculature (CSM) at the proximal site. This phenomenon could explain that this AP was connected between the CSM and the left ventricle, in site far away from the discrete connection between the left atrium and CSM.

Antegrade and retrograde decremental conduction properties of an accessory pathway associated with the coronary sinus musculature

A 32-year-old man underwent catheter ablation of an orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia. The sinus rhythm electrocardiogram exhibited a normal PQ interval and no delta waves, but atrial pacing produced a prolonged PQ interval and wide QRS morphology with right bundle-branch block due to antegrade accessory pathway (AP) conduction. During the tachycardia, atrial double potentials consisting of the coronary sinus musculature (CSM) and left atrial (LA) potentials were observed. Ventricular extrastimulation exhibited retrograde decremental conduction with an identical atrial activation sequence as during the tachycardia. A radiofrequency application within the posterolateral CS during ventricular pacing eliminated the CSM-LA conduction and concomitantly the ventriculoatrial conduction via the AP was abolished. In this case, the CSM was associated with the bidirectional decremental conduction properties of the AP, and the antegrade slow conduction resulted in the absence of a shortening of the PQ interval and delta waves during sinus rhythm despite the continuous presence of antegrade AP conduction.