title: Primary ablation of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.
abstract: Direct treatment of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation--that is, attempting to prevent arrhythmia recurrences by ablating atrial tissue--has been a challenge because of uncertainty about the location of optimal target tissues as well as the amount of atrial tissue requiring destruction to effect cure. Advances have yielded success rates for ablation of the common form of atrial flutter comparable to those for other types of supraventricular tachycardia and provide reason for optimism about the use of catheter techniques, to treat atrial fibrillation definitively. This article discusses some of these advances as well as the current status of catheter ablation for atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation and, finally, what the future may bring.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Cossú
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Chmielewski
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rothman
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Buxton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018780:Body Surface Potential Mapping; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000150:complications