Diagnosis and Localization of Accessory Pathways

The WPW syndrome is a curable disease. The evolution of nonpharmacological methods of accessory pathway ablation has had a significant impact on management strategies in patients with arrhythmias mediated by accessory pathways. Despite an incidence of preexcitation in the general population of 0.1% to 0.3%, curative therapy is underutilized. This review has highlighted the traditional and newer methods of diagnosing and localizing accessory pathways. The number of patients benefiting from definitive therapy will parallel increased physician awareness of these methods.