[Auricular fibrillation with ventricular tachycardia. Surgical section of a left lateral bundle of Kent].

The authors report the case of a man of 22 years, with no previous cardiac history, in whom a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was discovered during the course of this first episode of atrial fibrillation with a ventricular rate of 300-350/mn; investigation (vecto-cardiogram, intra-cavitory ECG) showed the presence of a short circuit of the Kent type, with a high permeability, and localised in the left lateral position; this was confirmed by pericardial cartography. After the surgical division of the accessory pathway, the electrical phenomenon of pre-excitation disappeared. The current possibilities of operating on cases of a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome justify carrying out a scrupulous electrophysiological study of each case, so that any accessory pathway can be precisely localised, and its refractory period determined; thus a pathway of preexcitation localised in the left lateral position, and having a short refractory period leading to a high ventricular rate under atrial fibrillation conditions, constitutes an indication for operation which may be urgent.