P-Wave Changes Associated with Chiari Network in the Right Atrium.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pediatric Electrophysiology
• Cardiac Anatomy

Background:

• The Chiari network (CN) is a remnant structure in the right atrium, occasionally linked to thromboembolism.
• Its potential impact on atrial electrophysiology remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if P-wave morphology on electrocardiograms (ECGs) differs between children with a Chiari network and healthy controls.
• To explore the association between CN presence and potential atrial conduction abnormalities.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study comparing 71 children with CN to 60 healthy controls.
• Measurement and comparison of P-wave duration, P-wave amplitude, P-wave dispersion (Pd), QRS, PR, QT, and QTc intervals on ECGs.

Main Results:

• Patients with CN exhibited significantly longer P-wave duration (88.7 ms vs. 78.1 ms) compared to controls.
• Significantly higher P-wave dispersion (35.5 ms vs. 18.9 ms) was observed in the CN group.
• P-wave amplitude was also significantly different (1.1 mm vs. 1.3 mm) between groups (p < 0.05 for all).

Conclusions:

• The Chiari network is associated with statistically significant alterations in P-wave characteristics on ECGs.
• These findings suggest that CN may affect atrial conduction, potentially increasing the risk for atrial arrhythmias in affected children.