title: [Comparative study of results of catheter ablation in ventricular tachycardia of different etiologies].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to assess long-term results and adverse events in patients with ventricular tachycardia from different etiologies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The recurrence rate of tachycardia, consequent further therapies (other catheter ablation procedures, drug therapy and implantable defibrillator) and clinical events have been assessed in 60 consecutive patients undergoing ventricular tachycardia catheter ablation between January 2000 and December 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a median follow-up of 20 months (interquartile range 13-36 months), tachycardia recurred in 27 patients (45%) after a median of 3 months (interquartile range 1-12 months). A second procedure was performed in 11 patients; it was successful in 8 patients. Four patients underwent pharmacological therapy which was successful in all cases. Overall, after ablation (> or =1 procedures) and pharmacological therapy, tachycardia was cured in 75% of cases. All the 20 patients without structural heart disease were cured with ablation vs. 62% of patients with heart disease (p = 0.001). Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy reported worst results (33% success, p = 0.03). Recurrences were predicted by acute failure of procedure (p = 0.05), presence of heart disease (p = 0.006) and history of atrial arrhythmias (p = 0.02). On a multivariate analysis, only structural heart disease continued to be an independent predictor of ventricular tachycardia recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia has a high percentage of recurrences in patients with heart disease, whereas is curative in subjects without structural heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Cardiologia, Ospedali del Tigullio Via Don Bobbio, 25 16033 Lavagna. rmaggi@asl4.liguria.it
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maggi
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quartieri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Donateo
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bottoni
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lolli
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Croci
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oddone
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puggioni
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menozzi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brignole
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome