Beyond Clinical Factors: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Multimodal Cardiac Imaging to Predict Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence Post-Catheter Ablation

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia, with catheter ablation being a key alternative to medical treatment for restoring normal sinus rhythm. Despite advances in understanding AF pathogenesis, approximately 35% of patients experience AF recurrence at 12 months after catheter ablation. Therefore, accurate prediction of AF recurrence occurring after catheter ablation is important for patient selection and management. Conventional methods for predicting post-catheter ablation AF recurrence, which involve the use of univariate predictors and scoring systems, have played a supportive role in clinical decision-making. In an ever-changing landscape where technology is becoming ubiquitous within medicine, cardiac imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) could prove pivotal in enhancing AF recurrence predictions by providing data with independent predictive power and identifying key relationships in the data. This review comprehensively explores the existing methods for predicting the recurrence of AF following catheter ablation from different perspectives, including conventional predictors and scoring systems, cardiac imaging-based methods, and AI-based methods developed using a combination of demographic and imaging variables. By summarising state-of-the-art technologies, this review serves as a roadmap for developing future prediction models with enhanced accuracy, generalisability, and explainability, potentially contributing to improved care for patients with AF.