title: Spatial relationships between the pulmonary veins and sites of complex fractionated atrial electrograms during atrial fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) mapping has been introduced to guide AF ablation. However, the spatial relationship between PV and CFAE is not well defined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 21 patients (mean age 57 +/- 11 years, 17 men, 14 paroxysmal, two persistent, and five long-standing persistent AF) referred for PV isolation. Electrograms were sampled for 8 seconds at each site during stable AF (13 induced). High-frequency was defined as <80 ms of CFAE value. The distance between CFAE and the nearest PV ostium was measured. The PV ostia and antra were demarcated by fluoroscopy guidance and endocardial reconstruction. Among 82 PV mapped (left common four, superior 17, inferior 17; right superior 21, inferior 21, middle 2), 52.4% and 25.6% of high-frequency CFAE were located on the anterior and posterior walls, respectively, inside the PV or at the ostium. No high-frequency CFAE was observed in two out of 60 and one out of 20 PV anteriorly, versus seven out of 60 and 11 out of 20 PV (P < 0.001) posteriorly, in paroxysmal and persistent AF, respectively. In the PV with high-frequency CFAE, the mean shortest distances to the PV ostia in paroxysmal versus persistent AF were 2.7 +/- 5.1 versus 7.4 +/- 5.4 mm anteriorly (P < 0.01), and 6.5 +/- 6.4 versus 9.4 +/- 8.4 mm posteriorly (ns).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During PV isolation, extending the ablation lesions by up to 10 mm from the PV ostia might cover most high-frequency CFAE around the PV antra. High-frequency CFAE were more often located in the PV ostia in paroxysmal than in persistent AF.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine and Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. jian.chen@med.uib.no
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Morten Kristian
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Off
authors.forename: Eivind
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solheim
authors.forename: Per Ivar
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Hoff
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Ole-Jørgen
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Ohm
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*