[Brugada syndrome. Current clinical aspects and risk stratification]

Brugada syndrome (an electrocardiographic pattern of atypical right bundle branch block, ST-segment elevation in leads V1 to V3, and sudden cardiac death in the absence of structural heart disease) is at least in a subgroup of patients a genetically transmitted disease caused by mutation in cardiac ion channels. The clinic is characterized by ventricular tachyarrhythmias which may lead to recurrent syncope and/or sudden cardiac death. The implantable cardioverter defibrillator is the only proven therapy in Brugada syndrome. As the recognition of asymptomatic patients with the characteristic ECG abnormalities increases worldwide several important questions arise. Among them, how do we recognize patients who need an ICD and what are our means for risk stratification? Ten years after the first report of Brugada and coworkers, the present review summarizes the current knowledge on Brugada syndrome with an emphasis on diagnostic tests and risk stratification.