Electrophysiological mechanisms of atrial flutter.

Atrial flutter (AFL) is a common arrhythmia in clinical practice. Several experimental models such as tricuspid regurgitation model, tricuspid ring model, sterile pericarditis model and atrial crush injury model have provided important information about reentrant circuit and can test the effect of antiarrhythmic drugs. Human atrial flutter has typical and atypical forms. Typical atrial flutter rotates around tricuspid annulus and uses the crista terminalis and sometimes sinus venosa as the boundary. The IVC-tricuspid isthmus is a slow conduction zone and the target of radiofrequency ablation. Atypical atrial flutter may arise from the right or left atrium. Right atrial flutter includes upper loop reentry, free wall reentry and figure of eight reentry. Left atrial flutter includes mitral annular atrial flutter, pulmonary vein-related atrial flutter and left septal atrial flutter. Radiofrequency ablation of the isthmus between the boundaries can eliminate these arrhythmias.