Ventricular tachycardia in repaired congenital heart disease; [Kammertachykardie bei korrigierten angeborenen Herzerkrankungen]

Ventricular arrhythmias are an important cause of late morbidity and sudden cardiac death in the growing population of adults with repaired congenital heart disease. Risk stratification remains challenging because of the heterogeneity of the malformations and the surgical approaches. Therapeutic interventions depend on the type of ventricular arrhythmia, which can be polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation in patients without ventricular scars, but also potentially fatal monomorphic reentrant VTs, typical for patients with ventricular scars or obstacles. Advances in surgical techniques have improved survival and have important implications for the arrhythmia substrates and prognosis. Over the past few decades, progress has been made to determine the anatomical basis for monomorphic VT in patients with ventricular surgical scars and patch material. These substrates can be currently identified and targeted during sinus rhythm by radiofrequency catheter or surgical ablation without the need for VT induction. The review provides an update on the evolving surgical approaches, the changing VA substrates, and the potential consequences for individualized risk assessment and tailored treatment. © 2016, The Author(s).