title: Long-term follow-up of idiopathic ventricular fibrillation ablation: a multicenter study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This multicenter study sought to evaluate the long-term follow-up of patients ablated for idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (VF).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Catheter ablation of idiopathic VF that targets ventricular premature beat (VPB) triggers has been shown to prevent VF recurrences on short-term follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2000, 38 consecutive patients from 6 different centers underwent ablation of primary idiopathic VF initiated by short coupled VPB. All patients had experienced at least 1 documented VF, with 87% having experienced > or =2 VF episodes in the preceding year. Catheter ablation was guided by activation mapping of VPBs or pace mapping during sinus rhythm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 38 patients (21 men) age 42 +/- 13 years, refractory to a median of 2 antiarrhythmic drugs. Triggering VPBs originated from the right (n = 16), the left (n = 14), or both (n = 3) Purkinje systems and from the myocardium (n = 5). During a median post-procedural follow-up of 63 months, 7 (18%) of 38 patients experienced VF recurrence at a median of 4 months. Five of these 7 patients underwent repeat ablation without VF recurrence. Survival free of VF was predicted only by transient bundle-branch block in the originating ventricle during the electrophysiological study (p < 0.0001). The number of significant events (confirmed VF or aborted sudden death) was reduced from 4 (interquartile range 3 to 9) before to 0 (interquartile range 0 to 4) after ablation (p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ablation for idiopathic VF that targets short coupled VPB triggers is associated with a long-term freedom from VF recurrence.
authors: Hôpital Cardiologique du Haut-Lévêque and the Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux II, Bordeaux, France. sebastien.knecht@chu-brugmann.be
authors: Sébastien
authors: S
authors: Knecht
authors: Frédéric
authors: F
authors: Sacher
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Wright
authors: Mélèze
authors: M
authors: Hocini
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Nogami
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Arentz
authors: Bertrand
authors: B
authors: Petit
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Franck
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: De Chillou
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Lamaison
authors: Jéronimo
authors: J
authors: Farré
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Lavergne
authors: Thierry
authors: T
authors: Verbeet
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Nault
authors: Seiichiro
authors: S
authors: Matsuo
authors: Lionel
authors: L
authors: Leroux
authors: Rukshen
authors: R
authors: Weerasooriya
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Cauchemez
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Lellouche
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Derval
authors: Sanjiv M
authors: SM
authors: Narayan
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Jaïs
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Clementy
authors: Michel
authors: M
authors: Haïssaguerre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018780:Body Surface Potential Mapping; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy*