title: Pulmonary vein anatomy and its variations in a Turkish atrial fibrillation cohort undergoing cryoballoon-based catheter ablation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pulmonary vein (PV) anatomy has drawn attention since assumption that atrial fibrillation (AF) may originate from PVs and that electrical isolation of PVs may be beneficial in eliminating these triggers. The present study aims to investigate PV anatomy and its variations in a sample of Turkish patients undergoing PV isolation (PVI) for AF.
  
  
  METHODS
  250 patients underwent multidetector computed tomography before cryoballoon-based PVI for AF. PV and left atrial (LA) anatomy were evaluated in 3-dimensional epicardial reconstructions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  980 PVs were observed. All PVs drained into the LA. Mean superoinferior (SI) dimension for each vein was significantly larger than mean anteroposterior (AP) dimension. Accessory PVs were only seen on right side. Accessory veins were significantly smaller in both AP and SI diameter than other veins. Right-sided PV ostia were more round. Expected anatomy of 2 atrial ostia for right upper and lower lobe veins on each side was seen in 94.8% of patients. Remainder had other variant anatomy in right PVs. Conjoined ostium in the LA was seen in 35.6% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PV variations were common in Turkish AF cohort undergoing PVI, which may be important to know about prior to ablation therapy for procedural success.
authors.forename: Duygu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koçyiğit
authors.forename: Kadri Murat
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Gürses
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Akşehir State Hospital, Konya, Turkey. ulviyalcin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Muhammed Ulvi
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Yalçın
authors.forename: Gamze
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Türk
authors.forename: Banu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Evranos
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Canpolat
authors.forename: Hikmet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yorgun
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hazırolan
authors.forename: Kudret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aytemir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D000072226:Computed Tomography Angiography; D003452:Cryosurgery; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey