Circumferential Pulmonary-Vein Ablation for Chronic Atrial Fibrillation

Catheter ablation encircling the pulmonary veins where they enter the left atrium was evaluated in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. The procedure maintained sinus rhythm for one year in three quarters of the patients. Both symptoms and the diameter of the left atrium decreased. Catheter ablation is a viable option in patients with symptomatic, chronic atrial fibrillation. Catheter ablation maintained sinus rhythm for one year in three quarters of the patients. Both symptoms and the diameter of the left atrium decreased. Circumferential pulmonary-vein ablation is reported to be effective for paroxysmal and chronic atrial fibrillation. 1 – 5 However, patients with chronic atrial fibrillation typically receive temporary antiarrhythmic-drug therapy after ablation and often require one or more cardioversions to restore sinus rhythm. These are confounding variables that may inflate the efficacy of catheter ablation. Furthermore, prior studies have not systematically monitored patients for asymptomatic recurrences of atrial fibrillation on a frequent basis. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, controlled study to determine the long-term efficacy of circumferential pulmonary-vein ablation in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation while taking into account the confounding variables of antiarrhythmic-drug . . .