[Systematic study of ventriculo-auricular conduction and its importance in the detection of aberrant conduction pathways].

Ventriculo-atrial conduction was studied by ventricular pacing in three groups of patients: 34 cases with the preexcitation syndrome on surface ECG, 35 cases with documented paroxysmal atrial tachycardia but with otherwise normal ECGs and 120 cases without either of these two conditions. This conduction time was unchanged up to pacing rates of over 160/min in 88 p. 100 cases with preexcitation and was thus a sign of a nodal short-circuit. This phenomenon was also observed in 85 p. 100 cases with isolated paroxysmal atrial tachycardia and in 20 p. 100 normal cases which suggests the presence of a latent accessory pathway in these patients.