title: Multiple focal atrial tachycardias in a healthy adult population: characterization and description of successful radiofrequency ablation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The electrophysiologic (EP) characteristics and ablation outcomes of focal atrial tachycardia (AT) have been extensively characterized over recent years. However, there are limited published data describing patients who at EP study have more than one sustained focal tachycardia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the demographics, tachycardia data, and outcome of patients with successful ablation of more than one focal AT.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of our supraventricular tachycardia database from 2000 to 2006 identified 258 patients who had undergone radiofrequency ablation of focal AT. Ten patients were identified who had more than one sustained focal tachycardia at EP study, including seven patients with two ATs and three patients with three ATs. The patients were all women with a mean age of 54.2 +/- 10.3 years. AT locations included the crista terminalis, coronary sinus ostium, tricuspid and mitral annuli, and pulmonary vein ostium. Successful ablation was performed for 22 (95.7%) of 23 tachycardias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During long-term follow-up of 32.7 +/- 22.2 months, there were no recurrences of AT in those patients with successful ablation. No patients developed new AT foci, and only one developed late AF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have described a series of patients with multiple focal ATs with typical anatomic distribution. These patients do not have significant cardiac or respiratory disease, and in this series, all were women. This report demonstrates that up to three focal ATs can be successfully ablated at a single procedure without recurrence or development of other atrial arrhythmias in long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Mvalderrabano@tmh.tmc.edu <Mvalderrabano@tmh.tmc.edu>
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hillock
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kalman
authors.forename: Kurt C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Roberts-Thomson
authors.forename: Haris
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haqqani
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Sparks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018780:Body Surface Potential Mapping; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013612:Tachycardia, Ectopic Atrial / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome