Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW Syndrome) Introduction Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is the second most common cause of regular supraventricular tachycardia in adults, and by far the most common cause of supraventricular tachycardia in the babies and children. The syndrome is caused by a residual congenital muscle fiber that crosses the normally-insulated valve rings that separate the upper and lower chambers of your heart (the atria and ventricles) called an "accessory pathway." The syndrome was named after doctors Wolff, Parkinson and White who noticed an abnormal electrocardiogram ("ECG" or "EKG" ) finding in 19 athletic males who all had racing heart rhythms. This abnormal EKG finding (called a "delta wave") allows doctors today to diagnose some individuals by their EKG alone. Patients who have a "delta wave" on their EKG but no symptoms to NOT necesarily require treatment of this finding, but those that have symptoms of palpitations or a racing heart rhythm are often recommended to undergo a heart electrical study called an "electrophysiology study" (or "EPS" or "EP Study" for short).