Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41425887›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pediatrics2025

Electrocardiographic markers of hypertrophy in children: revisiting R/S overlap and the Katz-Wachtel phenomenon.

Nikola Owsianka, Lukas Schober, Hannes Sallmon, Daniel Scherr, N Köstenberger, Martin Manninger, Nathalie Öffl, Stefan Kurath-Koller

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Article in Frontiers in pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Nikola OwsiankaDivision of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Lukas SchoberDivision of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Hannes SallmonDivision of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Daniel ScherrDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
N KöstenbergerDivision of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Martin ManningerDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Nathalie ÖfflDivision of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.
Stefan Kurath-KollerDivision of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Many children show R/S overlap in ECG chest leads. The Katz-Wachtel phenomenon, described in the 1960s, characterizes high R and S waves ≥50 mm as an ECG feature of biventricular cardiac hypertrophy. This study investigates the KWP and the association between an R/S overlap and cardiac hypertrophy. Methods: Retrospective study including 800 pediatric patients, treated at the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Graz, between 2016 and 2022. ECG measurements with regard to R/S overlap and voltage in chest leads and review of echocardiography findings of cardiac hypertrophy. ECG measurements were manually obtained and reviewed by two blinded pediatric cardiologists. Results: Of the 500 patients with an R/S overlap, 4% had confirmed cardiac hypertrophy compared to 1% of children without confirmed R/S overlap. Sensitivity was highest in leads V3/4 (69%), while specificity was highest in leads V1/V2 (93%) and V5/V6 (96%), respectively. A statistically significant correlation between R/S overlap and hypertrophy was found. Conclusion: R/S overlap correlates with myocardial hypertrophy in children. While it demonstrates high sensitivity, its limited specificity prevents its use as a standalone diagnostic parameter. It may contribute to early identification when combined with other ECG features and echocardiographic evaluation.

Indexed as

biventricular hypertrophychest leadschildrenECGelectrocardiographyKatz-Wachtel-Phenomenonventricular hypertrophy

Identifiers

PMID41425887
PMCPMC12711696

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