Segmental Pulmonary Vein Isolation Research Articles

Rotors and spiral waves in atrial fibrillation.

Despite many years of research, the mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) are still poorly understood, and we currently are unable to adequately treat most patients with AF. Recently, the demonstration in both human and animal studies that the pulmonary veins (PVs) and the posterior left atrial (LA) wall play a substantial role in triggering and in driving the fibrillatory activity has opened new avenues for research into the mechanisms of initiation and maintenance AF at many levels of integration. This article focuses on recent studies at the whole-heart level that support the hypothesis that maintenance of AF, whether paroxysmal or persistent, may depend on the periodic activity of a small number of rotors in the posterior LA wall-PV region. These rotors activate the atria at exceedingly high frequencies and result in fibrillatory conduction. Recent clinical studies involving either segmental PV isolation or circumferential PV ablation support this view. Such encouraging results suggest that collaboration between basic and clinical electrophysiologists will lead to a more precise understanding of the manner in which rotors stabilize in the PV-LA junction, which should open new doors for the development of innovative approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AF.

P3187 Non-fluoroscopic mapping with LocalLisa facilitates succesful segmental pulmonary vein isolation by radiofrequency ablation

P3187 Non-fluoroscopic mapping with LocalLisa facilitates succesful segmental pulmonary vein isolation by radiofrequency ablation

Clinical significance of early recurrences of atrial fibrillation after pulmonary vein isolation.

The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of early recurrences of atrial fibrillation (ERAF) that occur within two weeks after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation, and to determine whether ERAF is predictive of long-term outcome after PV isolation. Atrial fibrillation (AF) sometimes recurs within days after PV isolation and may prompt an early repeat intervention. Segmental PV isolation was performed using radiofrequency energy in 110 consecutive patients (mean age 53 +/- 11 years) with paroxysmal (93 patients) or persistent (17 patients) AF. Three to four PVs were targeted for isolation in all patients. Pulmonary vein isolation was complete in 338 of the 358 PVs that were targeted (94%). Early recurrences of AF occurred in 39 of 110 patients (35%) at a mean of 3.7 +/- 3.5 days after the procedure. The prevalence of ERAF was similar in patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF (33% and 47%, respectively, p = 0.4). Beyond the first two weeks, at 208 +/- 125 days of follow-up, 60 of the 71 patients without ERAF (85%) and 12 of the 39 patients with ERAF (31%) were free of recurrent AF in the absence of antiarrhythmic drug therapy (p < 0.001). Early recurrences of AF occur in approximately 35% of patients within two weeks after isolation of three to four PVs, and are associated with a lower long-term success rate than in patients without ERAF. However, approximately 30% of patients with ERAF have no further symptomatic AF during long-term follow-up. Therefore, temporary antiarrhythmic drug therapy may be more appropriate than early repeat ablation in patients with ERAF.

Segmental isolation of pulmonary veins during atrial fibrillation

Segmental isolation of pulmonary veins during atrial fibrillation

A randomized comparison of unipolar versus bipolar recordings as a guide for segmental pulmonary vein isolation

A randomized comparison of unipolar versus bipolar recordings as a guide for segmental pulmonary vein isolation