Unilateral Cervicothoracic Sympathetic Ganglionectomy for the Treatment of Long QT Interval Syndrome

Abstract

THE syndrome of congenital deafness, syncopal episodes, long QT interval on the electrocardiogram and sudden death has been well described.^{1 2 3} Recently, ventricular dysrhythmias have been documented as the cause of the syncope and sudden death in this condition.⁴ Although the original descriptions indicated that the syndrome was hereditable, sporadic, nonfamilial cases with and without associated deafness have been reported.⁵ The cause of the prolonged QT interval is poorly understood, but abnormalities in the central nervous system have been implicated.⁶ Effective antiarrhythmic therapy has been the subject of considerable interest since the prolonged QT interval contraindicates the use of most standard . . .