Open AccessNon-invasive Stereotactic Radioablation: A New Option for the Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias
Author(s) -
Wei Chen,
Pierre Qian,
Usha B. Tedrow,
Raymond H. Mak,
Paul C. Zei
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
arrhythmia and electrophysiology review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.008
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 2050-3377
pISSN - 2050-3369
DOI - 10.15420/aer.2019.04
Subject(s) - medicine , ablation , ablative case , ventricular tachycardia , catheter ablation , radiofrequency catheter ablation , radiofrequency ablation , cardiology , radiology , radiation therapy
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Radiofrequency catheter ablation can be effective for the treatment of VT but it carries a high rate of recurrence often attributable to insufficient depth of penetration for reaching critical arrhythmogenic substrates. Stereotactic body radioablation (SBRT) is a commonly used technology developed for the non-invasive treatment of solid tumours. Recent evidence suggests that it can also be effective for the treatment of VT. It is a non-invasive procedure and it has the unique advantage of delivering ablative energy to any desired volume within the body to reach sites that are inaccessible with catheter ablation. This article summarises the pre-clinical studies that have formed the evidence base for SBRT in the heart, describes the clinical approaches for SBRT VT ablation and provides perspective on next steps for this new treatment modality.