Selection for atrial fibrillation ablation: Importance of diastolic function grading

Left Atrial Diastolic Dysfunction following Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA)-induced thermal injury may cause and/or worsen left atrial (LA) diastolic dysfunction leading to pulmonary hypertension and heart failure in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the incidence of which is probably more common than is generally realized. Biplane 2-dimensional echocardiography coupled with tissue Doppler (velocity) imaging and Doppler-der...

Ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Fueled by dissatisfaction with pharmacologic strategies to treat atrial fibrillation (AF), the results of basic and clinical investigation into the understanding of AF initiation and maintenance mechanisms, and the explosive development in catheter-based technologies, AF ablation has matured from a purely investigational technique to a preferred, safe, and effective approach for curing AF, part...

Cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation

2014 Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is the cornerstone of ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation. The majority of procedures are still performed using radiofrequency (RF) energy and a point-by-point ablation approach. Novel ‘single shot’ ablation tools with the aim of creating a circumferential lesion around the PVs with a single or a limited number of energy applications emerge. The currently...

Ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Recognition that the initiation of atrial fibrillation often is dependent on arrhythmogenic foci within the pulmonary veins1 opened a new chapter in our understanding of the mechanisms of atrial fibrillation, which in turn has led to dramatic improvements in our ability to ablate atrial fibrillation. Based on experimental studies and clinical studies that used a variety of catheter and surgical...

Radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation