LaMarcus Aldridge diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

Casey Holdahl By Casey Holdahl
on April 09, 2007 at 4:18 PM, updated April 09, 2007 at 4:52 PM

I'm not exactly sure what it is just yet, but news just came across that the cause of LaMarcus Aldridge's dizziness and erratic heartbeat is Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. From the Trail Blazers press release:

Portland Trail Blazers Forward LaMarcus Aldridge underwent a series of tests today at Providence St. Vincent's Medical Center in Portland. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW) and was treated for the condition by Dr. Daniel Oseran at St. Vincent's. The procedure was successful.

Aldridge will be monitored by a cardiologist and will miss the remainder of the season. He is expected to make a full recovery and be cleared to resume physical activity, including basketball, in the near future.

Aldridge, complaining of dizziness, left Portland's game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden on March 31 and has been sidelined since that time.

UPDATE: Here's some information about Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome from the American Heart Association:
>What is the heart's normal condition?


What is the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome?

If there's an extra conduction pathway, the electrical signal may arrive at the ventricles too soon. This condition is called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW). It's in a category of electrical abnormalities called "pre-excitation syndromes."


Many people with this syndrome who have symptoms or episodes of tachycardia (rapid heart rhythm) may have dizziness, chest palpitations, fainting or, rarely, cardiac arrest. Other people with WPW never have tachycardia or other symptoms. About 80 percent of people with symptoms first have them between the ages of 11 and 50.

How is this syndrome treated?

People without symptoms usually don't need treatment. People with episodes of tachycardia can often be treated with medication. But sometimes such treatment doesn't work. Then they'll need to have more tests of their heart's electrical system.

The most common procedure used to interrupt the abnormal pathway is radiofrequency or catheter ablation. In this, a flexible tube called a catheter is guided to the place where the problem exists. Then that tissue is destroyed with radiofrequency energy, stopping the electrical pathway. Successful ablation ends the need for medication. Whether a person will be treated with medication or with an ablation procedure depends on several factors. These include the severity and frequency of symptoms, risk for future arrhythmias and patient preference.

UPDATE: Here's another good resource for information on WPW. The press release doesn't indicate what kind of procedure Aldridge had, but it sounds like it might have been catheter ablation. Here's some information on that procedure:

An area in your groin, neck, shoulder or arm is numbed with a local anesthetic. A small puncture will be made in a vein or artery in one or more of those areas so the electrode catheter, a thin, soft-coated wire, can be inserted. The catheter is then moved toward the heart, while its movement is monitored on a video screen.

As part of your ablation, an electrophysiology study (EPS) will be done to provide an electrical "map" of where signals begin in your heart and how often these signals are sent. It helps pinpoint where an ablation should be done.

When the exact location is found, the ablation is performed. An ablating electrode catheter is placed near the problem pathway, circuit or node.

Energy waves, sent through the catheter, destroy the problem cells, while the rest of the heart muscle is unharmed.

If all of your AV node must be ablated, signals will no longer be able to pass from your atria to your ventricles. So, a pacemaker, a small electronic device, must be placed in your body to regulate your heart rhythm. This can be done during the ablation procedure.

According to Advocate Christ Medical Centers, the recovery time for such a procedure is only a day or two, which would coincide with the statement that LaMarcus could "resume physical activity, including basketball, in the near future."