AIMS: Pulmonary vein ablation offers the potential to cure patients with atrial fibrillation. In this study, we investigated the incidence of pulmonary vein stenosis after radiofrequency catheter ablation of refractory atrial fibrillation by systematic long-term follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-seven patients with refractory and highly symptomatic atrial fibrillation underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation of arrhythmogenic triggers inside the pulmonary veins and/or ostial pulmonary vein isolation with conventional mapping and ablation technology. These patients had follow-up examinations at 2 years with transoesophageal doppler-echo and/or angio magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of the pulmonary veins. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were free from atrial fibrillation, 51% were without antiarrhythmic drugs, and 26% were on previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drug therapy. However, 13 of the 47 patients showed significant pulmonary vein stenosis or occlusion. Only three of these 13 patients complained of dyspnoea. Distal ablations inside the pulmonary vein were associated with a 5.6-fold higher risk of stenosis than ostial ablations. CONCLUSIONS: At 2-year follow-up, the risk of significant pulmonary vein stenosis/occlusion after radiofrequency catheter ablation of refractory atrial fibrillation with conventional mapping and ablation technology was 28%. Distal ablations inside smaller pulmonary veins should be avoided because of the higher risk of stenosis than ablation at the ostium.
AIMS: Pulmonary vein ablation offers the potential to cure patients with atrial fibrillation. In this study, we investigated the incidence of pulmonary vein stenosis after radiofrequency catheter ablation of refractory atrial fibrillation by systematic long-term follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-seven patients with refractory and highly symptomatic atrial fibrillation underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation of arrhythmogenic triggers inside the pulmonary veins and/or ostial pulmonary vein isolation with conventional mapping and ablation technology. These patients had follow-up examinations at 2 years with transoesophageal doppler-echo and/or angio magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of the pulmonary veins. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were free from atrial fibrillation, 51% were without antiarrhythmic drugs, and 26% were on previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drug therapy. However, 13 of the 47 patients showed significant pulmonary vein stenosis or occlusion. Only three of these 13 patients complained of dyspnoea. Distal ablations inside the pulmonary vein were associated with a 5.6-fold higher risk of stenosis than ostial ablations. CONCLUSIONS: At 2-year follow-up, the risk of significant pulmonary vein stenosis/occlusion after radiofrequency catheter ablation of refractory atrial fibrillation with conventional mapping and ablation technology was 28%. Distal ablations inside smaller pulmonary veins should be avoided because of the higher risk of stenosis than ablation at the ostium.
Authors: Jaroslav Tintera; Václav Porod; Robert Cihák; Hanka Mlcochová; Eva Rolencová; Pavel Fendrych; Josef Kautzner Journal: Eur Radiol Date: 2006-08-08 Impact factor: 5.315
Authors: Hugh Calkins; Gerhard Hindricks; Riccardo Cappato; Young-Hoon Kim; Eduardo B Saad; Luis Aguinaga; Joseph G Akar; Vinay Badhwar; Josep Brugada; John Camm; Peng-Sheng Chen; Shih-Ann Chen; Mina K Chung; Jens Cosedis Nielsen; Anne B Curtis; D Wyn Davies; John D Day; André d'Avila; N M S Natasja de Groot; Luigi Di Biase; Mattias Duytschaever; James R Edgerton; Kenneth A Ellenbogen; Patrick T Ellinor; Sabine Ernst; Guilherme Fenelon; Edward P Gerstenfeld; David E Haines; Michel Haissaguerre; Robert H Helm; Elaine Hylek; Warren M Jackman; Jose Jalife; Jonathan M Kalman; Josef Kautzner; Hans Kottkamp; Karl Heinz Kuck; Koichiro Kumagai; Richard Lee; Thorsten Lewalter; Bruce D Lindsay; Laurent Macle; Moussa Mansour; Francis E Marchlinski; Gregory F Michaud; Hiroshi Nakagawa; Andrea Natale; Stanley Nattel; Ken Okumura; Douglas Packer; Evgeny Pokushalov; Matthew R Reynolds; Prashanthan Sanders; Mauricio Scanavacca; Richard Schilling; Claudio Tondo; Hsuan-Ming Tsao; Atul Verma; David J Wilber; Teiichi Yamane Journal: Heart Rhythm Date: 2017-05-12 Impact factor: 6.343