title: Evaluation of the effect of radiofrequency catheter ablation on autonomic function in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia by head-up tilt table test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One of the recommended treatments for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), is radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). However, RFCA may affect the autonomic system. This study aims to evaluate the effect of RFCA on autonomic system in patients with PSVT by head-up tilt table (HUTT) test.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a before-after study, 22 patients with PSVT were enrolled. Data were collected with a data collection form that included two parts. Electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, 24-h Holter monitoring, HUTT test, heart rate variability (HRV) indexes, and symptoms of all patients were recorded 24 h before and 1 month after the ablation. Wilcoxon, McNemar, Mann-Whitney U, and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total 22 patients, 31.8% were male and 68.2% were female. There were significant differences in heart palpitation (P < 0.0001) and non-specific symptoms (P = 0.031) and no significant difference in head-up tilt test results and HRV indices before and after RFCA. The results showed that there were no significant differences in specific and non-specific symptoms in patients with AVNRT with positive and negative HUTT before and after RFCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed difference in heart palpitation and non-specific symptoms emphasized the role of AVNRT in causing these symptoms. Autonomic dysfunction is more probably an accompanying condition of AVNRT than causing symptoms. We could not find any significance in the results of HUTT after RFCA. HUTT cannot determine or predict the symptoms after RFCA.
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Vahid
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Jorat
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Sayyed Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eftekharzadeh
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirzaei
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadbagher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Owlia
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasser Hosein
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Sartipzadeh
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam-Alsadat
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Salami
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vafaeenasab
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Akbar
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Rahimianfar
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Marzieh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shamibaf
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Minoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jafarieh
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Zeynolabedin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Seyfpourshouraki
authors.affiliation: Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadtaghi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarebanhassanabadi
keywords: Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia; HRV index; autonomic dysfunction; head-up tilt table test; radiofrequency catheter ablation