The Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; report of a case occurring in a mother and infant.

WOLFF, Parkinson, and White, in 1930, first described the combination of a short P-R interval and a prolonged QRS on the electrocardiogram in frequent association with attacks of paroxysmal tachycardia.1It is usually the only cardiac anomaly present. Holtzmann and Scherf2and Wolferth and Wood3suggested that accessory atrioventricular pathways were present which would permit premature depolorization of part of the ventricle. Engle has reviewed the literature recently in infants and children.4Her youngest case was 6 days old with symptoms dating back to the first day of life, suggesting that the syndrome is congenital in origin. The symptoms of an attack are usually irritability, vomiting, prostration, and an ashen gray color. If allowed to continue it may precipitate cardiac failure. The treatment of choice is digitalis. Insofar as we were able to determine, our case is the first in which both the mother and infant