Premature ventricular contractions in normal children

To document the assumed benign prognosis of premature ventricular contractions in children, we followed 17 patients with PVCs and without other heart disease for a mean of seven years (range one to 19 years). Data were collected from the history, physical examination, 15-lead ECG, and treadmill exercise test. Eight of the 17 children still had PVCs at the most recent follow-up. Of these eight children, seven were asymptomatic. The physical examination remained normal in all except one, who developed signs of mitral prolapse. Light exercise abolished the PVCs in all children. We believe that if a careful clinical examination discloses no abnormalities, and if the PVCs are unifocal and disappear with exercise, this dysrhythmia is, in fact, benign in children, and requires no further cardiovascular examination.