Cardiovascular imaging in the management of atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is he most commonly encountered arrhythmia in clinical practice, with an overall prevalence of 0.4% in the general population. Recent advances in technology and in the understanding of the pathophysiology of AF have led to more definitive and potentially curative therapeutic approaches. Echocardiography has a well-established role in the assessment of cardiac structure and function and risk stratification, and has become an essential part of the guidelines for management of AF. The development of intracardiac echocardiography has led to real-time guidance of percutaneous interventions, including radiofrequency ablation and left atrial appendage closure procedures for patients with AF. Other imaging modalities, including computed tomography and magnetic resonance angiography, have allowed for more accurate measurement and better understanding of the cardiac anatomy. We review the impact of various imaging modalities in the evaluation and management of AF.
Wazni
Oussama M
OM
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Tsao
Hsuan-Ming
HM
Chen
Shih-Ann
SA
Chuang
Hsuan-Hung
HH
Saliba
Walid
W
Natale
Andrea
A
Klein
Allan L
AL
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004452:Echocardiography; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed