Heart Rhythm
Volume 6, Issue 6 , Pages 760-763 , June 2009

Cutting nerves and saving lives

  • Peter J. Schwartz, MD, FHRS

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Peter J. Schwartz, Department of Cardiology, University of Pavia, c/o Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Viale Golgi, 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy

References 

  1. Lown B. Sudden cardiac death: the major challenge confronting contemporary cardiology. Am J Cardiol. 1979;43:313–328
  2. Schwartz PJ, Crotti L. Ion channel diseases in children: manifestations and management. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2008;23:184–191
  3. Schwartz PJ, Periti M, Malliani A. The long QT syndrome. Am Heart J. 1975;89:378–390
  4. Schwartz PJ, Crotti L. Long QT and short QT syndromes. In:  Zipes DP,  Jalife J editor. Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside. Fifth edition. Philadelphia: Elsevier/Saunders; 2009;p. 731–734
  5. Link MS, Hill SL, Cliff DL, et al. Comparison of frequency complications of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in children versus adults. Am J Cardiol. 1999;83:263–266
  6. Ten Harkel AD, Blom NA, Reimer AG, et al. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation in children in the Netherlands. Eur J Pediatr. 2005;164:436–441
  7. Mohamed U, Gollob MH, Gow RM, et al. Sudden cardiac death despite an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a young female with catecholaminergic ventricular tachycardia. Heart Rhythm. 2006;3:1486–1489
  8. Wolf MJ, Zeltser IJ, Salerno J, et al. Electrical storm in children with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator: clinical features and outcome. Heart Rhythm. 2007;4(5 Suppl):S43
  9. Schwartz PJ, Priori SG, Spazzolini C, et al. Genotype-phenotype correlation in the long QT syndrome (Gene-specific triggers for life-threatening arrhythmias). Circulation. 2001;103:89–95
  10. Vincent GM, Schwartz PJ, Denjoy I, et al. High efficacy of beta-blockers in long QT syndrome type 1: contribution of non-compliance and QT prolonging drugs to the occurrence of beta-blocker treatment “failures.”. Circulation. 2009;119:215–221
  11. Schwartz PJ, Spazzolini C, Crotti L. All LQT3 patients need an ICD (True or false?). Heart Rhythm. 2009;6:113–120
  12. Viskin S, Halkin A. Treating the long-QT syndrome in the era of implantable defibrillators. Circulation. 2009;119:204–206
  13. Schwartz PJ, Priori SG, Napolitano C. The long QT syndrome. In:  Zipes DP,  Jalife J editor. Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside. Third edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2000;p. 597–615
  14. Collura CA, Johnson JN, Moir C, et al. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation for the treatment of long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia using video-assisted thoracic surgery. Heart Rhythm. 2009;6:752–759
  15. Francois-Frank CA. Signification physiologique de la resection du sympathique dans la maladie de Basedow, l'epilepsie, l′idiotic et le glaucoma. Bull Acad Med Paris. 1899;41:565–594
  16. Jonnesco T. Traitement chirurgical de l'angine de poitrine par la résection du sympathique cervico-thoracique. Presse Med. 1921;20:221–230
  17. Danielopolu D. Le traitement chirurgical de I'angine de poitrine à la lumière des dernières recherches cliniques et expérimentales. C R Soc Biol Tome I. 1925;92:1157
  18. Jonnesco T. Heart function after sympathectomy. JAMA. 1925;85:1921
  19. Leriche R, Fontaine R. Rôle du ganglion étoile gauche dans le déterminisme de la crise de l'angine de poitrine. C R Acad Sci. 1929;188:279–280
  20. Danielopolu D. L'infarctus du myocarde accident de la stellectomie dans l'angine de poitrine. Presse Med. 1948;56:337–338
  21. Lindgren I, Olivecrona H. Surgical treatment of angina pectoris. J Neurosurg. 1947;4:19–39
  22. Burnett CF, Evans JA. Follow-up report on resection of the anginal pathway in thirty-three patients. JAMA. 1956;162:709
  23. Cox WV. Influence of stellate ganglion block on angina pectoris and the post-exercise ECG. Am J Med. 1966;252:289–295
  24. Leriche R, Herman L, Fontaine R. Ligature de la coronaire gauche et fonction du coeur après enervation sympathique. C R Soc Biol. 1931;107:547
  25. Cox WV, Robertson HF. The effect of stellate ganglionectomy on cardiac function of intact dogs. Am Heart J. 1936;12:285
  26. McEachern G, Manning GW, Hall GE. Sudden occlusion of coronary arteries following removal of cardiosensory pathways: an experimental study. Arch Intern Med. 1940;65:661
  27. Harris S, Estandia A, Tillotson RF. Ventricular ectopic rhythms and ventricular fibrillation following cardiac sympathectomy and coronary occlusion. Am J Physiol. 1951;165:505
  28. Estes EH, Izlar HR. Recurrent ventricular tachycardia (A case successfully treated by bilateral cardiac sympathectomy). Am J Med. 1961;31:493–497
  29. Zipes DP, Festoff B, Schaal SF, et al. Treatment of ventricular arrhythmia by permanent atrial pacemaker and cardiac sympathectomy. Ann Intern Med. 1968;68:591–597
  30. Moss AJ, McDonald J. Unilateral cervicothoracic sympathetic ganglionectomy for the treatment of long QT interval syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1971;285:903–904
  31. Yanowitz F, Preston JB, Abildskov JA. Functional distribution of right and left stellate innervation to the ventricles: production of neurogenic electrocardiographic changes by unilateral alteration of sympathetic tone. Circ Res. 1966;18:416–428
  32. Schwartz PJ, Malliani A. Electrical alternation of the T wave (Clinical and experimental evidence of its relationship with the sympathetic nervous system and with the long QT syndrome). Am Heart J. 1975;89:45–50
  33. Schwartz PJ. The rationale and the role of left stellectomy for the prevention of malignant arrhythmias. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1984;427:199–221
  34. Schwartz PJ, Priori SG. Sympathetic nervous system and cardiac arrhythmias. In:  Zipes DP,  Jalife J editor. Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside. Third edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2000;p. 330–343
  35. Schwartz PJ, Snebold NG, Brown AM. Effects of unilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation on the ventricular fibrillation threshold. Am J Cardiol. 1976;37:1034–1040
  36. Schwartz PJ, Stone HL. Left stellectomy and denervation supersensitivity in conscious dogs. Am J Cardiol. 1982;49:1185–1190
  37. Schwartz PJ, Locati EH, Moss AJ, et al. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation in the therapy of congenital long QT syndrome: a worldwide report. Circulation. 1991;84:503–511
  38. Schwartz PJ, Priori SG, Cerrone M, et al. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation in the management of high-risk patients affected by the long QT syndrome. Circulation. 2004;109:1826–1833
  39. Schwartz PJ, Motolese M, Pollavini G, et al. Italian Sudden Death Prevention Group Prevention of sudden cardiac death after a first myocardial infarction by pharmacologic or surgical antiadrenergic interventions. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 1992;3:2–16
  40. Wilde AAM, Bhuiyan ZA, Crotti L, et al. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. N Engl J Med. 2008;358:2024–2029
  41. Li J, Liu Y, Yang F, et al. Video-assisted thoracoscopic left cardiac sympathetic denervation: a reliable minimally invasive approach for congenital long-QT syndrome. Ann Thorac Surg. 2008;86:1955–1958
  42. Atallah J, Fynn-Thompson F, Cecchin F, et al. Video-assisted thorascopic cardiac denervation: a potential novel therapeutic option for children with intractable ventricular arrhythmias. Ann Thorac Surg. 2008;86:1620–1625
  43. Makanjee B, Gollob MH, Klein GJ, et al. Ten-year follow up of cardiac sympathectomy in a young woman with Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2009;Feb 26. [Epub ahead of print]

PII: S1547-5271(09)00406-8

doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2009.04.009

Heart Rhythm
Volume 6, Issue 6 , Pages 760-763 , June 2009

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