PEDIATRICS Vol. 37 No. 4 April 1966, pp. 669-672
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A New Electrocardiographic Observation in Infants and Children with Hypothyroidism

ALI ERTUGRUL M.D.1

1 Department of Pediatrics, Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine of Ankara University and Head of Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Hacettepe Medical Center, Hacettepe, Ankara

Dome-shaped T waves and the absence of the ST segment combined with generalized low voltage of all complexes with bradycardia are specific signs of hypothyroidism. An electrocardiogram of a hypothyroid patient resembles the silhouette of a mosque. The dome-shaped T wave immediately after the QRS complex without a ST segment resembles a minaret with a dome. This finding has been present in 14 of 38 hypothyroid patients. In 12 patients the electrocardiographic changes were suggestive of hypothyroidism, but they were not diagnostic. The electrocardiograms of the remaining 12 patients had only non-specific changes.

When this change is present, it is diagnostic. However, absence of change is not necessarily indicative of the absence of hypothyroidism.

On rare occasions electrocardiographic findings in different types of myocarditis and electrolite disturbances may somewhat resemble these changes. However, these characteristic changes have not been found in any other disease except hypothyroidism in infants and children in our medical center.