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Clinical Application of Electroanatomical Mapping in the Characterization of “Incisional” Atrial Tachycardias
Author(s) -
PEICHL PETR,
KAUTZNER JOSEF,
ČIHÁK ROBERT,
VANČURA VLASTIMIL,
BYTEŠNÍK JAN
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9592.2003.00062.x
Subject(s) - medicine , atrial flutter , cardiology , atrial tachycardia , ablation , catheter ablation , tachycardia , reentry , tetralogy of fallot , atrium (architecture) , atrial fibrillation , heart disease
PEICHL, P.,et al.:Clinical Application of Electroanatomical Mapping in the Characterization of “Incisional” Atrial Tachycardias.Scar tissue after surgical procedures for congenital heart disease may create a complex arrhythmogenic substrate and expose patients to the risk of “incisional” tachycardia. We report the usefulness of electroanatomical mapping in the characterization of reentrant circuits and identification of sites of successful radiofrequency (RF) ablation. Methods: Electroanatomical mapping was used to draw activation maps of the right atrium in 6 men and 4 women (mean age45 ± 13.7 years) with 21 atrial tachycardias after corrections of atrial septal defects (n = 6) or tetralogy of Fallot (n = 4). The critical isthmus of reentrant circuits was ablated by RF energy. Results: Macroreentrant circuits were localized on the posterolateral wall of the right atrium in all cases. Scar tissue in that region often contained several pathways that allowed induction of different tachycardias. Interruption of all slow conducting pathways successfully abolished all inducible tachycardias. The cavotricuspid isthmus participated in a figure‐of‐eight reentrant circuit or in a typical flutter circuit in 6 patients. RF ablation was successful in all but one patient, without significant complications. Conclusion: Electroanatomical mapping allows the precise description of macroreentrant circuits and the identification of all slow conducting pathways. It is a powerful tool for the planning of ablation lines, navigation of ablation catheter, and verification of conduction block. (PACE 2003; 26[Pt. II]:420–425)