title: [Ablation devices in arrhythmia surgery].
abstract: Creation of a conduction block is the rationale behind arrhythmia surgery. The "cut-and-sew" technique provides complete conduction block and a line of conduction block prevents propagation of abnormal activation and interrupts reentrant circuits. Alternative ablation devices have been developed to replace the "cut-and-sew" lesions in order to simplify the surgical procedure, decrease the risk of bleeding, and shorten the cardiac arrest and operative times during the surgery. However, ablation devices, such as traditional cryoablation, radiofrequency, micro wave, or ultrasound ablations, do not necessarily guarantee transmural and continuous necrosis. If the amount of surviving atrial myocardium in the incomplete ablation is a critical level, atrial activation can pass through the critical isthmus in the non-transmural or non-continuous lesion with slow conduction. Surgeons should know the precise mechanism of each surgical ablation device and have a good command of them to create complete transmural lesion.
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Chiba, Japan.
authors: Yosuke
authors: Y
authors: Ishii
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Nitta
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000601:surgery*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans