Successful percutaneous epicardial ablation of an accessory pathway located at the right atrial appendage

Abstract

In patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, difficulty in ablation of accessory pathways is associated with failures and recurrences. Epicardially located accessory pathways may require different management strategies when conventional ablation attempts fail. In particular, an epicardial accessory pathway communicating the right atrial appendage to the right ventricle is an extraordinary situation resulting in difficulties in ablation. Hereby, we report on a challenging case of percutaneous epicardial ablation of an epicardial accessory pathway located at right atrial appendage in a 28-year-old man with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, who had a prior history of unsuccessful endocardial ablation. Percutaneous epicardial ablation may be a viable option obviating the necessity of surgical ablation procedures for difficult ablation cases with epicardial accessory pathways.