[Visualization of pulmonary vein stenosis after radio frequency ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation using multidetector computed tomography with retrospective gating].
OBJECTIVE
With the number of radio frequency ablations (RFA) for treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation increasing, the diagnostic evaluation for RFA associated pulmonary vein stenosis is getting more important. This study investigates the feasibility of the visualization of pulmonary vein stenosis using non-invasive multidetector computed tomography.


METHODS
Twenty-eight patients were examined following RFA-treatment. A 4-slice (20 patients) and a 16-slice (8 patients) multidetector CT scanner (SOMATOM Volume Zoom and Sensation 16, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) with retrospective gating was used to assess the pulmonary veins. Lesion severity was determined on a semi-quantitative scale (< 30 %, 30 - 50 %, > 50 %).


RESULTS
CT was performed without any complications in all patients. Diagnostic image quality could be obtained in all examinations. The pulmonary veins showed lesions < 30 % in four patients, lesions of 30 -, 50 % in five patients and a stenosis > 50 % in one patient. Eighteen patients showed no lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
Multidetector CT of the pulmonary veins seems to be able to visualize high-grade and low-grade lesions, but larger catheter-controlled studies are needed for further assessment of the diagnostic accuracy and clinical reliability of this noninvasive method.
Trabold
T
T
Radiologische Klinik, Abt. für Radiologische Diagnostik, Universität Tübingen, Germany. Tobias.Trabold@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Küttner
A
A
Heuschmid
M
M
Burgstahler
C
C
Mewis
C
C
Kopp
A F
AF
Schröder
S
S
Kühlkamp
V
V
Claussen
C D
CD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*