Polymorphous ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the absence of structural heart disease

Polymorphous ventricular tachyarrhythmias (PVTA) in the absence of structural heart disease form a particularly important target for comprehensive research. They occur in young, healthy children and young adults and most probably cover several underlying electrophysiological abnormalities. We individualized two syndromes, namely catecholaminergic ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and torsade de pointes (TDP) with a short coupling interval, but these two entities certainly represent only a part of the problem of idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. Having the implanted defibrillator as a therapeutic umbrella for those patients who were fortunate enough to escape from sudden death is not sufficient. Too often in modern cardiology the therapeutic achievements tend to precede the process of diagnosis and comprehension. At least, the former should not preclude the latter, a situation that can be observed, for instance, when the favorable effect of a drug is evidenced before its mode of action was understood. At best, both progress together, provided we pay attention to adequately exploit the resources of modern technology.