The anatomic bases of the electrocardiographic abnormalities atrioventricular and intraventricular block have been subjects of considerable study during the last 25 years.1-24 This report reviews the advances made during this period.
ATRIOVENTRICULAR BLOCK
Permanent, complete atrioventricular block is almost always associated with lesions in the conduction system.1,2,5,11,18Atrioventricular block is associated with many conditions11: coronary heart disease, hypertension, congenital heart disease, myocarditis, rheumatic heart disease, syphilitic heart disease, aortic valvular disease, infectious endocarditis, rheumatoid heart disease, collagen diseases, tumors, trauma, and other miscellaneous states and diseases. In addition, there is the very important type of primary heart block or sclerosis of the left side of the cardiac skeleton.
Coronary Heart Disease
Atrioventricular block in this disease may be acute or chronic.1,2,7,9,10,19 The acute type is associated with an acute myocardial infarction, either of the posteroseptal or anteroseptal type. The chronic type is associated with chronic