What is Chatterjee phenomenon?
|What is Chatterjee phenomenon?
Chatterjee phenomenon is post pacing T wave inversion. In the original article by Kanu Chatterjee and associates [1] they found significant ST depression and T wave inversion persisting after discontinuation of pacing. They noted that the mere presence of the lead in the ventricle or atrial pacing did not produce these changes. They also excluded a recent Stokes Adam attack as the cause of the ST-T changes in their cases. Only depolarization of the ventricles from an abnormal site was deemed to be the cause of these changes.
Cardiac memory has been postulated as a mechanism of these changes by other authors as well [2]. Similar changes have also been reported after intermittent left bundle branch block, intermittent preexcitation and episodes of tachycardia (post tachycardia syndrome).
References
- Chatterjee K, Harris A, Davies G, Leatham A. Electrocardiographic changes subsequent to artificial ventricular depolarization. Br Heart J. 1969 31:770-9.
- Gautschi O, Naegeli B. Cardiac memory mimicking myocardial ischaemia. J R Soc Med. 2003; 96: 131–132.