title: Clinical characteristics and acute results of catheter ablation for outflow tract ventricular tachycardia or premature beats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Contemporary outcome data of catheter ablation for outflow tract tachycardia (OTT) and ventricular premature beats (VPBs) are rare. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics, the acute procedure success rate, and the long-term survival of patients who underwent an ablation procedure for OTT or VPBs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a single-center retrospective cohort study. All 82 consecutive OTT and VPB first ablation procedures between 1999 and 2009 were included. Patients with structural heart disease were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was 46 ± 13 years. Forty-three percent of the patients were male. All patients were alive after a median follow-up duration of 31 months (interquartile range, 14-65 months). Eighty-nine percent suffered from palpitations and 12 % had a history of syncope. Ventricular tachycardia was documented in 73 % and monomorphic VPBs in 99 %. Seventy-three percent of the patients were ablated in the right ventricular outflow tract, 15 % in the left ventricular outflow tract, and 12 % in the coronary cusps. Radiofrequency energy was used in 95 % of the patients, cryo energy in 9 %. Acute success was achieved in 78 %. Six patients (7 %) experienced a complication (five pericardial effusions, one pseudo-aneurysm of the femoral artery). Three patients needed pericardiocentesis (4 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ablation for OTT and VPB is successful in the vast majority of cases, with a low but still existing complication rate. Long-term survival was excellent, underscoring the benign nature of this arrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Electrophysiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Suzanne D A
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Valk
authors.forename: Natasja M S
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.forename: Tamas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Szili-Torok
authors.forename: Yves L E
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Van Belle
authors.forename: Jan C J
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Res
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jordaens
mesh_terms: D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020519:Pericardiocentesis; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome