[Characteristic electrocardiographic procedures of isthmic-dependent atrial flutter; influence of clinical and echocardiographic procedures].

The appearance of the F waves on the ECG is considered to be related to the type of circuit of the anti-clockwise flutters and the clockwise isthmic-dependant flutters. In the authors' experience, the usual ECG description of these two types of flutter is not always observed. This study was undertaken to analyse the different appearances of anti-clockwise and clockwise flutters and to try and explain the reasons for these differences. Over a 4 year period, 139 patients with an ECG of atrial flutter required electro-physiological studies and echocardiography of the 156 flutters analysed: 130 were anti-clockwise and 26 clockwise. Three types of anti-clockwise flutter were observed: type 1 with exclusively negative F waves in the inferior leads: type 2 and 3 with negative F waves in the inferior leads and a small (type 2) or large (type 3) positive terminal components. The types 2 and 3 were associated with a higher incidence of left atrial dilatation, cardiac disease and atrial fibrillation than type 1. Two types of clockwise flutter were observed: type 1 with positive notched F waves in the inferior leads with a return to the iso-electric line and type 2 with wide F waves in the inferior leads with two components, predominantly positive and negative, without return to the iso-electric line. There are different ECG appearances of anti-clockwise and clockwise flutter which seem to be correlated with structural cardiac abnormalities. The anti-clockwise flutters with a positive terminal component of the F waves in the inferior leads corresponds to a subgroup with a high probability of cardiac disease and left atrial dilatation.