title: Wall thickness of the pulmonary vein-left atrial junction rather than electrical information as the major determinant of dormant conduction after contact force-guided pulmonary vein isolation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The usefulness of electrogram (EGM)-based information has been reported for assessing lesion transmurality during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, but the wall thickness of the pulmonary vein-left atrial (PV-LA) junction has not been considered. We conducted a study to evaluate the relation between PV-LA junction wall thickness and the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-provoked dormant PV conduction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen AF patients underwent extensive encircling pulmonary vein isolation (EEPVI) with a target CF of >10 g. RF energy was delivered point-by-point at a power setting of 25-30 W for 30 s, and EGM-based information (change in filtered unipolar EGM morphology and bipolar EGM amplitude), decrease in impedance, CF, and CT-based measurement of the PV-LA junction wall thickness were characterized at sites of ATP-provoked dormant conduction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After EEPVI, ATP-induced dormant conduction was observed at 12 of the 288 PV sites (8 segments per ipsilateral PVs × 2 × 18 patients). Of the 974 ablation points, 72 were located at dormant conduction sites and were strongly associated with thickened PV-LA junction walls (1.02± 0.23 vs. 0.86 ± 0.26 mm, p < 0.0001) and decreased impedance (13.3 ± 6.4 vs. 14.9 ± 7.1 Ω, p = 0.0498) but not with EGM-based information or CF. Multivariate analysis identified the thickened PV-LA junction wall as the strongest predictor of dormant conduction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A thickened PV-LA junction wall is a robust predictor of ATP-provoked dormant conduction; EGM-based information appears to be insufficient for ensuring adequate lesions during CF-guided EEPVI.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iso
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan. yasuwo128@hotmail.co.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sonoda
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Rikitake
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kogawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Kimie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Ohyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirayama
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D009929:Organ Size; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000241:Adenosine
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Electrogram-based information; Pulmonary vein isolation; Wall thickness of the pulmonary vein-left atrial junction