Open AccessEvaluation of periesophageal nerve injury after pulmonary vein isolation using the 13 C‐acetate breath test
Author(s) -
Kanaeda Tomonori,
Ueda Marehiko,
Arai Makoto,
Ishimura Masayuki,
Kajiyama Takatsugu,
Hashiguchi Naotaka,
Nakano Masahiro,
Kondo Yusuke,
Hiranuma Yasunori,
Oyamada Arata,
Yokosuka Osamu,
Kobayashi Yoshio
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of arrhythmia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.463
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1883-2148
pISSN - 1880-4276
DOI - 10.1016/j.joa.2015.06.004
Subject(s) - medicine , pulmonary vein , atrial fibrillation , gastroenterology , asymptomatic , catheter , vein , gastric emptying , breath test , anesthesia , mann–whitney u test , reflux , stomach , surgery , helicobacter pylori , disease
Background Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has become an important option for treating patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Periesophageal nerve (PEN) injury after PVI causes pyloric spasms and gastric hypomotility. This study aimed to clarify the impact of PVI on gastric motility and assess the prevalence of gastric hypomotility after PVI. Methods Thirty consecutive patients with AF underwent PVI under luminal esophageal temperature (LET) monitoring. The 13 C‐acetate breath test was conducted before and after the procedure for all patients (PVI group). Gastric emptying was evaluated using the time to peak concentration of 13 CO 2 ( T max ). This test was also conducted in another 20 patients who underwent catheter ablation procedures other than PVI (control group). Results The number of patients with abnormal T max (≥75 min) increased from seven (23%) to 13 (43%) and from three (15%) to five (25%) after the procedure in the PVI group and control group, respectively. The mean T max was longer after PVI than before PVI (64±14 min vs. 57±15 min, p =0.006), whereas there was no significant difference before and after the procedure in the control group. However, no significant difference in Δ T max was observed between the two groups ( p =0.27). No patients suffered from symptomatic gastric hypomotility. Conclusions Asymptomatic gastric hypomotility occurred more often after PVI. However, the average impact of PVI on gastric motility was minimal.