Atrial fibrillation: Predicting the efficacy of pulmonary vein isolation with CMR.

Pulmonary vein antrum isolation is an accepted alternative to antiarrhythmic therapy for restoring normal sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation. The procedure has a high initial success rate, but many patients subsequently experience recurrence of the arrhythmia. Cardiac magnetic resonance might offer a means of identifying patients who are more likely to experience successful long-term results from pulmonary vein antrum isolation.