title: Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy and radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with mitral stenosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term results of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with mitral stenosis (MS) following percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four patients (2 males, age 59+/-6 years) underwent simultaneous PTMC and pulmonary vein (PV) ablation. All patient had AF and MS (2 had persistent AF >1 month, 2 had paroxysmal AF), and the mean duration of AF was 3.4+/-3.3 years. The mean left atrial dimension was 47+/-7 mm and the mean ejection fraction was 58+/-4%. After PTMC, RFCA was performed in all patients (3 underwent PV isolation and 1 had PV focal ablation). The mitral valve area increased from 1.11 +/-0.19 to 1.90+/-0.20 cm(2) (p < 0.01). The frequency of AF episodes was dramatically reduced in the 2 patients with paroxysmal AF, and the 1 with persistent AF maintained sinus rhythm, but 1 patient with persistent AF developed recurrent AF. No complications or cardiac events occurred in any of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of RFCA and PTMC was safe and feasible, and may be useful in patients with MS and AF.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Gunma Prefectural Cardiovascular Center, Maebashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyaji
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Shigeto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoshizaki
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*