Use of imaging techniques to guide catheter ablation procedures.

Paralleling the growth in ablation of complex arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, advanced imaging technologies are becoming more commonplace in the care of the electrophysiology patients. Although intracardiac ultrasound remains the most commonly used imaging technique, advances in real-time MRI may change this in the future. We discuss the current use of intracardiac ultrasound, CT, including rotational angiography, MRI, with an emphasis on delayed-enhancement MRI, and positron emission tomography-CT in advanced ablation procedures. Image integration is emphasized and new technologies such as direct endoscopic visualization are discussed.