T-Wave Alternans Testing for

Ventricular Arrhythmias

Sanjiv M. Narayan

T-wave alterans (TWA) measures alternate-beat fluctuations

in the ECG T-wave, and has been used to

predict the risk for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias

in various clinical populations. This work reviews

the traditional literature linking repolarization alternans

in cellualr and tissue-level studies, with clinical studies

that TWA can successfully add to existing clinical risk

factors in predicting ventricular arrhythmias. We conclude

by providing an evidence-based framework

integrating TWA with other risk factors to stratify risk

for sudden cardiac arrest.

n 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, Vol. 51, No. 2 (September/October), 2008: pp 118-127