title: Linear ablation of left atrium for the treatment of atrial fibrillation guided by double Lasso catheters and three dimensional electroanatomical mapping.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Linear ablation of left atrium (LA) guided by three dimensional (3-D) electroanatomical mapping (Carto) has been used in many centres worldwide for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) instead of pure anatomical approaches. There were little data about linear ablation of LA guided by Carto and double Lasso catheters in China. We report the results of linear ablation of LA guided by both Carto and double Lasso catheters.
  
  
  METHODS
  After the anatomical model of LA and all pulmonary veins (PVs) had been established, circumferential ablations of the left pulmonary vein antrum and the right pulmonary vein antrum were performed with 2 circumferential mapping catheters (Lasso) placed within the ipsilateral superior and inferior PVs. The endpoint of ablation was abolishment or dissociation of the pulmonary vein potentials (PVPs). Oral amiodarone or propafenone was taken for at least 3 months by patients with persistent AF, permanent AF or those whose PVPs had not been isolated completely. The recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmias was observed 3 months after the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 106 patients (mean age, 51.4 +/- 9.9 years). Seventy-eight patients had paroxysmal AF, 12 persistent AF and 16 permanent AF. Onset of atrial fibrillation occurred in 52 patients during ablation procedure. Thirty-two patients restored to sinus rhythm eventually after the procedure. Abolishment or dissociation of PVPs was accomplished during the procedure in 94 patients (88.7%). The duration of procedure and exposure to X-ray were (213 +/- 45) minutes and (32.5 +/- 12.8) minutes, respectively. Among the 87 patients followed up for over 3 months, 62 were free of atrial tachyarrhythmias (including 8 patients who were still taking oral amiodarone). The success rate was 71.3% in the first procedure. Two patients had pericardial effusion treated by pericardial puncture and effusion drainage. No pulmonary vein stenosis, atrioesophageal fistula, stroke or procedural death occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combination of double Lasso catheters with 3-D electroanatomical mapping to guide the linear ablation of left atrium procedure can confirm the isolation of PVPs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430063, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Fu-sheng
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yu-he
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Cong-xin
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000503:physiopathology