Ventricular tachycardia without apparent heart disease: long-term follow-up

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the long-term prognosis of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients without structural heart disease (HD).MethodsHolter monitoring, exercise test, echocardiography, right angiography, coronary angiography, and electrophysiologic study were performed in 810 patients with VT.ResultsEighty patients (mean age, 45 ± 17 years) had no apparent HD. VT was reproduced at electrophysiologic study in 62 patients. Mean follow-up was 9.7 ± 7 years. Initially, 91% were treated with drugs. Defibrillator was implanted in 4, including 2 for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy diagnosed later. VT ablation was performed in 3 patients. Three patients older than 70 years died of nonarrhythmic cause. Other patients are alive without antiarrhythmic drug treatment in 50%. Three developed a dilated cardiomyopathy; and 2, atrial fibrillation.ConclusionsInvasive treatment was rarely required in patients with VT without HD. The prognosis was only dependent on the age and the pattern of electrocardiogram in VT.