title: Successful percutaneous epicardial catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia arising from the crux of the heart in a patient with prior coronary artery bypass grafting.
abstract: A 63-year-old man with a history of remote inferior myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) underwent catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Epicardial catheter ablation of the VT was successful at the crux of the heart despite limited mapping within the pericardial space due to pericardial adhesion. Percutaneous subxiphoidal pericardial approach is usually impossible in patients with a history of open heart surgery due to pericardial adhesions. This report suggested that epicardial VT arising from the crux of the heart could be successfully treated by catheter ablation via subxiphoidal pericardial approach despite pericardial adhesions complicated by prior CABG.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, FOT 930A, 510 20th Street South, 1530 3rd AVE S, Birmingham, AL 35294-0019, USA.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, FOT 930A, 510 20th Street South, 1530 3rd AVE S, Birmingham, AL 35294-0019, USA.
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
keywords: Crux of the heart; Epicardial catheter ablation; Open heart surgery; Pericardial adhesion; Ventricular tachycardia