BACKGROUND: The esophagus may be mobile during a left atrial (LA) ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to determine whether the location of the esophagus is stable in patients undergoing a repeat LA ablation procedure. METHODS: Forty-two patients underwent repeat LA ablation a mean of 7 +/- 2 months after the initial procedure. Cinefluoroscopic images of the esophagus during a barium swallow were recorded and the course of the esophagus was tagged on the 3D map. The position of the esophagus at the index and repeat procedure were compared. RESULTS: At the index procedure, the esophagus was located near the left pulmonary veins (PVs) in 20 (48%), right PVs in 13 (31%), and at the mid LA in 9 (21%) patients. During the repeat procedure, the esophagus was found to be near the left PVs in 22 (52%), right PVs in 11 (26%), and at the mid LA in 9 patients (21%). In 35 of the 42 patients (83%), there was no change in the esophageal location, and in the remaining seven patients (17%), its position had shifted by > or =1 cm (range 1.0-4.0 cm). CONCLUSIONS: In more than 80% of patients presenting for a repeat LA ablation procedure, the esophagus is in the same position relative to the PVs as during the initial procedure. Therefore, if radiofrequency ablation at a particular location was limited by the position of the esophagus, safe ablation at that site is unlikely to be feasible during a repeat procedure.
BACKGROUND: The esophagus may be mobile during a left atrial (LA) ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to determine whether the location of the esophagus is stable in patients undergoing a repeat LA ablation procedure. METHODS: Forty-two patients underwent repeat LA ablation a mean of 7 +/- 2 months after the initial procedure. Cinefluoroscopic images of the esophagus during a barium swallow were recorded and the course of the esophagus was tagged on the 3D map. The position of the esophagus at the index and repeat procedure were compared. RESULTS: At the index procedure, the esophagus was located near the left pulmonary veins (PVs) in 20 (48%), right PVs in 13 (31%), and at the mid LA in 9 (21%) patients. During the repeat procedure, the esophagus was found to be near the left PVs in 22 (52%), right PVs in 11 (26%), and at the mid LA in 9 patients (21%). In 35 of the 42 patients (83%), there was no change in the esophageal location, and in the remaining seven patients (17%), its position had shifted by > or =1 cm (range 1.0-4.0 cm). CONCLUSIONS: In more than 80% of patients presenting for a repeat LA ablation procedure, the esophagus is in the same position relative to the PVs as during the initial procedure. Therefore, if radiofrequency ablation at a particular location was limited by the position of the esophagus, safe ablation at that site is unlikely to be feasible during a repeat procedure.
Authors: Zdeněk Stárek; František Lehar; Jiří Jež; Alena Žbánková; Tomáš Kulík; Jiří Wolf; Miroslav Novák Journal: J Interv Card Electrophysiol Date: 2016-03-12 Impact factor: 1.900
Authors: José Carlos Pachón Mateos; Enrique I Pachón Mateos; Tomas G Santillana Peña; Tasso Julio Lobo; Juán Carlos Pachón Mateos; Remy Nelson A Vargas; Carlos Thiene C Pachón; Juán Carlos Zerpa Acosta Journal: Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc Date: 2015 Mar-Apr
Authors: Riccardo Faletti; Marco Gatti; Andrea Di Chio; Marco Fronda; Matteo Anselmino; Federico Ferraris; Fiorenzo Gaita; Paolo Fonio Journal: Eur Radiol Exp Date: 2018-11-21
Authors: Cheryl Teres; David Soto-Iglesias; Diego Penela; Beatriz Jáuregui; Augusto Ordoñez; Alfredo Chauca; Jose Miguel Carreño; Claudia Scherer; Marina Huguet; Carlos Ramírez; José Torres Mandujano; Giuliana Maldonado; Alejandro Panaro; Julio Carballo; Óscar Cámara; Jose-Tomás Ortiz-Pérez; Antonio Berruezo Journal: Heart Rhythm O2 Date: 2022-02-13