BACKGROUND: The visually guided laser ablation (VGLA) catheter is a compliant, variable-diameter balloon that delivers laser energy around the pulmonary vein (PV) ostium under real-time endoscopic visualization. While acute PV isolation has been shown to be feasible, limited data exist regarding the durability of isolation. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the durability of PV isolation following ablation using the balloon-based VGLA catheter. METHODS: The VGLA catheter was evaluated in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (3 sites, 10 operators). Following transseptal puncture, the VGLA catheter was advanced through a 12-F deflectable sheath and inflated at the target PV ostium. Under endoscopic guidance, the 30° aiming arc was maneuvered around the PV and laser energy was delivered to ablate tissue in a contiguous/overlapping manner. At ∼3 months, all patients returned for a PV remapping procedure. RESULTS: In 56 patients, 202 of 206 PVs (98%) were acutely isolated. At 105 ± 44 (mean ± SD) days, 52 patients returned for PV remapping at which time 162 of 189 PVs (86%) remained isolated and 32 of 52 patients (62%) had all PVs still isolated. On comparing the operators performing <10 vs ≥ 10 procedures, the durable PV isolation rate and the percentage of patients with all PVs isolated were found to be 73% vs 89% (P = .011) and 57% vs 66% (P = .746), respectively. After 2 procedures and 12.0 ± 1.9 months of follow-up, the drug-free rate of freedom from atrial fibrillation was 71.2%. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter, multioperator experience, VGLA resulted in a very high rate of durable PV isolation with a clinical efficacy similar to that of radiofrequency ablation.
BACKGROUND: The visually guided laser ablation (VGLA) catheter is a compliant, variable-diameter balloon that delivers laser energy around the pulmonary vein (PV) ostium under real-time endoscopic visualization. While acute PV isolation has been shown to be feasible, limited data exist regarding the durability of isolation. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the durability of PV isolation following ablation using the balloon-based VGLA catheter. METHODS: The VGLA catheter was evaluated in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (3 sites, 10 operators). Following transseptal puncture, the VGLA catheter was advanced through a 12-F deflectable sheath and inflated at the target PV ostium. Under endoscopic guidance, the 30° aiming arc was maneuvered around the PV and laser energy was delivered to ablate tissue in a contiguous/overlapping manner. At ∼3 months, all patients returned for a PV remapping procedure. RESULTS: In 56 patients, 202 of 206 PVs (98%) were acutely isolated. At 105 ± 44 (mean ± SD) days, 52 patients returned for PV remapping at which time 162 of 189 PVs (86%) remained isolated and 32 of 52 patients (62%) had all PVs still isolated. On comparing the operators performing <10 vs ≥ 10 procedures, the durable PV isolation rate and the percentage of patients with all PVs isolated were found to be 73% vs 89% (P = .011) and 57% vs 66% (P = .746), respectively. After 2 procedures and 12.0 ± 1.9 months of follow-up, the drug-free rate of freedom from atrial fibrillation was 71.2%. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter, multioperator experience, VGLA resulted in a very high rate of durable PV isolation with a clinical efficacy similar to that of radiofrequency ablation.
Authors: Irfan M Khurram; John N Catanzaro; Stefan Zimmerman; Vadim Zipunnikov; Ronald D Berger; Alan Cheng; Sunil Sinha; Jane Dewire; Joseph Marine; David Spragg; Hiroshi Ashikaga; Henry Halperin; Hugh Calkins; Saman Nazarian Journal: Pacing Clin Electrophysiol Date: 2015-08-17 Impact factor: 1.976
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
Authors: Hugh Calkins; Karl Heinz Kuck; Riccardo Cappato; Josep Brugada; A John Camm; Shih-Ann Chen; Harry J G Crijns; Ralph J Damiano; D Wyn Davies; John DiMarco; James Edgerton; Kenneth Ellenbogen; Michael D Ezekowitz; David E Haines; Michel Haissaguerre; Gerhard Hindricks; Yoshito Iesaka; Warren Jackman; José Jalife; Pierre Jais; Jonathan Kalman; David Keane; Young-Hoon Kim; Paulus Kirchhof; George Klein; Hans Kottkamp; Koichiro Kumagai; Bruce D Lindsay; Moussa Mansour; Francis E Marchlinski; Patrick M McCarthy; J Lluis Mont; Fred Morady; Koonlawee Nademanee; Hiroshi Nakagawa; Andrea Natale; Stanley Nattel; Douglas L Packer; Carlo Pappone; Eric Prystowsky; Antonio Raviele; Vivek Reddy; Jeremy N Ruskin; Richard J Shemin; Hsuan-Ming Tsao; David Wilber Journal: Heart Rhythm Date: 2012-03-01 Impact factor: 6.343
Authors: Alexey Tsyganov; Jan Petru; Jan Skoda; Lucie Sediva; Pavel Hala; Jiri Weichet; Marek Janotka; Milan Chovanec; Petr Neuzil; Vivek Y Reddy Journal: J Interv Card Electrophysiol Date: 2015-10-16 Impact factor: 1.900
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: Europace Date: 2018-01-01 Impact factor: 5.214
Authors: Bruno Reissmann; Thorsten Budelmann; Erik Wissner; Michael Schlüter; Christian-Hendrik Heeger; Shibu Mathew; Tilman Maurer; Christine Lemes; Thomas Fink; Andreas Rillig; Francesco Santoro; Johannes Riedl; Feifan Ouyang; Karl-Heinz Kuck; Andreas Metzner Journal: Clin Res Cardiol Date: 2017-12-28 Impact factor: 5.460