[The long Q-T syndrome without Q-T prolongation (author's transl)]

Case description of a 30 year-old woman with recurrent attacks of symptomatic ventricular tachyarrhythmias but without Q-T prolongation in the electrocardiogram. All conventional antiarrhythmic agents failed to suppress the arrhythmia and electrical defibrillation had to be carried out 99 times. Blockade of the left stellate ganglion with lidocaine followed by stellectomy led to successful control of the dangerous rhythm disturbance for a follow-up period of 1.5 years. As in patients with the classical long Q-T syndrome stellate ganglion blockade and stellectomy might be indicated in cases with the so called latent Q-T syndrome and life threatening ventricular arrhythmias resistant to antiarrhythmic agents.