The asymptomatic Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome

Patients with an electrocardiogram result consistent with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (WPW) often present without symptoms of tachycardia, syncope, or palpitations. Regardless of symptoms, it is recommended that all patients with a pattern of WPW on their electrocardiogram undergo formal risk assessment of their accessory pathway conduction properties to better understand the patients risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the methods, risk, cost and benefits of these methods and how one should go about risk assessing the asymptomatic WPW syndrome patient.