Lorcainide treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in children and adolescents.

Lorcainide was used in 17 children and adolescents aged 14 days to 18 years (mean 6.8 years) with the preexcitation syndrome (W-P-W type). Lorcainide was able to control attacks of supraventricular tachycardia in eight of 11 patients with the W-P-W syndrome and tachyarrhythmias. Long-term maintenance therapy prevented new attacks of tachyarrhythmia for an average period of nine (5-15) months in all seven patients who tolerated lorcainide administration. Normalization of the W-P-W pattern was reached in nine of 11 children with the W-P-W syndrome who had tachyarrhythmias and in three of six asymptomatic children with the ECG pattern of W-P-W. Single effective doses ranged from 12.5 mg orally in the neonates to 100 mg in the adolescents. The effect of lorcainide on the ECG usually appeared 2 h after the oral administration of the drug. Dizziness in three with insomnia and vomiting in one patient complicated the treatment. No drug-associated abnormalities in blood cell counts and biochemical values were identified.