title: Current strategies in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation: review of the literature and Onze Lieve Vrouw Clinic's strategy.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation is the most common rhythm disturbance in clinical practice. It is a major source of stroke and morbidity. Although the Cox maze procedure effectively eliminates atrial fibrillation in most patients, the procedure has not found widespread application. As a consequence, new operations that use alternative sources of energy, such as radiofrequency, microwave, cryothermy, laser, and ultrasound have emerged to surgically create lesion sets to treat atrial fibrillation. This article reviews the fundamentals and current strategies in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Department, Onze Lieve Vrouw Clinic, Aalst, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ihsan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bakir
authors.forename: Filip P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Casselman
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brugada
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Geelen
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wellens
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Degrieck
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Praet
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Geest
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vanermen
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008872:Microwaves / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000078702:Radiofrequency Therapy; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy