[New diagnostic method in arrhythmias and heart conduction disorders]

The authors developed a method for recording spike potentials of the heart conduction system from the body surface on a curve of differentially intensified spike potential (DISP). They examined 187 patients and 60 healthy persons. The spike potentials of the sinoatrial node, atria and the bundle of His recorded on the DISP curves coincide exactly in time with spike potentials on intracardiac ECG recorded by microcatheterization of the heart through the subclavian vein, which makes it possible to distinguish on the DISP curve reference points for determining conductivity on definite areas of the heart conduction system. DISP recording allows the diagnosis of conductivity disorders and atrial overloading, arrhythmias of the heart, the diagnosis of which cannot be made from the ordinary ECG. In some cases this method can substitute for intracardiac ECG.