Radiofrequency catheter ablation of premature ventricular contractions in children under CARTO3 system: a retrospective study from one single center

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect and summarize the experience of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for children suffered from premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted by descriptive analysis. A total of 108 cases with frequent PVCs from Shanghai Children's Medical Center were treated with RFCA under the guidance of CARTO3 system from January 2011 to December 2016. The immediate success rate of the procedure, the recurrence rate and the perioperative complications were summarized. The constituent ratio of different PVCs origins, the trend of overall procedure time and success rate in recent years were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using F test. Results: Immediate success of RFCA was achieved in 104 cases (96.3%, 104/108) and 4 cases (3.7%, 4/108) failed. The PVCs recurred during follow-up of over 6 months in 5 cases (4.8%, 5/104) . There were no severe complications related to the procedure. The sites of PVCs origin, in 52 cases originated from right ventricular outflow track (48.2%, 52/108) , 17 cases originated from left ventricular outflow track (15.7%, 17/108) and 26 cases originated from tricuspid annulus (24.1%, 26/108) . Among the three predilection sites of PVCs, the operation time was (141±46) min for right ventricular outflow track, (155±50) min for left ventricular outflow track, and (166±57) min for tricuspid annulus. However, the difference was not statistically significant (F=1.79, P=0.17) . X-ray exposure time was (14±8) minutes for right ventricular outflow track ablation, (32±14) minutes for left ventricular outflow track ablation and (16±8) minutes for tricuspid annulus ablation respectively. The exposure time for the ablation on left ventricle was significantly longer than the other two sites (F=5.12, P=0.018) . Conclusion: RFCA is safe and effective for PVCs in children with high success rate and low recurrence and complication rates.