Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in remote myocardial infarction: substrate description guiding placement of individual linear lesions targeting noninducibility.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to describe the arrhythmogenic substrate in postinfarction patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) guiding the placement of individual strategic linear lesions transecting all potential isthmuses using target area maps with limited mapping points to allow short procedure times.


RESULTS
In 28 patients with pleomorphic, unstable, and/or incessant VT, electroanatomic voltage mapping was performed in conjunction with limited sinus rhythm mapping, pace mapping, and activation mapping. Radiofrequency (RF) energy was applied directly within the low-voltage areas of the chronically infarcted areas or in the border zone. Ablation lines typically were perpendicular to the course of the presumed central common pathways. The maps consisted of 63 +/- 30 mapping points. An average lesion line length of 46 +/- 21 mm was placed with 17 +/- 7 RF pulses. Twenty-two (79%) of the 28 patients were rendered completely noninducible at the end of the procedure. Procedure time measured 134 +/- 41 minutes. No major complications were observed. Six (27%) of 22 patients who were rendered completely noninducible experienced VT recurrence during follow-up versus 4 (67%) of 6 patients who were still inducible after ablation (P = 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Individually tailored substrate description guiding the placement of linear lesion lines transecting potential isthmuses rendered 80% of the patients completely noninducible. The construction of regional target area maps allowed short procedure times, with a resulting low incidence of complications in these critically ill patients.
Kottkamp
Hans
H
Department of Electrophysiology-Clinic of Cardiology, University of Leipzig-Heart Center, Struempellstrasse 39, D-04289 Leipzig, Germany. Kotth@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Wetzel
Ulrike
U
Schirdewahn
Petra
P
Dorszewski
Anja
A
Gerds-Li
Jin-Hong
JH
Carbucicchio
Corrado
C
Kobza
Richard
R
Hindricks
Gerhard
G
D000368:Aged; D018780:Body Surface Potential Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome