title: Clinical value of fibrillatory wave amplitude on surface ECG in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We postulated that amplitude of fibrillatory (F)-wave in patients with persistent AF would correlate with clinical characteristics and outcome in patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maximal and mean amplitude of F-waves were measured in V1 and lead II in 90 patients prior to ablation for persistent AF. F-wave amplitudes were correlated to clinical, echocardiographic variables, and outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  F-wave > or = 0.1 mV in lead II and V1 was correlated with younger age and shorter AF history, and in lead II only was correlated with a smaller left atrium. Higher F-wave amplitude at baseline predicted AF termination during ablation. Maximal amplitude of > or = 0.07 mV predicted AF termination by ablation with 82%/79% sensitivity and 68%/73% specificity in V1/lead II respectively. An association between F-wave amplitude and AF recurrence was observed. Forty-three percent of patients with mean f wave amplitude <0.05 in lead V1 had AF recurrence compared to 12% of those with F-wave > or = 0.05 (p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Longer AF duration, older age and larger LA size are associated with fine AF amplitude. High F-wave amplitude predicts procedural termination of arrhyhmia in patients with persistent AF and freedom from AF upon follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Cardiologique Haut-Lévêque, Bordeaux-Pessac, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France. isabellenault@gmail.com
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nault
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lellouche
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knecht
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Kang-Teng
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sacher
authors.forename: Pyotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Platonov
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deplagne
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bordachar
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Derval
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Mélèze
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hocini
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jaïs
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clémenty
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haïssaguerre
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome