Reappraisal of the clinical implications of adenosine triphosphate in terms of the prediction of reconnection sites in cases with electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins

• Published in: Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology 2015-11, Vol.44 (2), p.171-178
• Main Authors: Okishige, Kaoru, Aoyagi, Hideshi, Ihara, Kensuke, Iwai, Shinsuke, Nakamura, Tomofumi, Yamashita, Mitsumi, Katoh, Nobutaka, Hasegawa, Tomoaki, Kawaguchi, Naohiko, Keida, Takehiko, Sasano, Tetsuo, Hirao, Kenzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphate - administration & dosage; Atrial Fibrillation - diagnosis; Atrial Fibrillation - surgery; Body Surface Potential Mapping - drug effects; Cardiology; Electrocardiography - drug effects; Female; Heart Conduction System - drug effects; Heart Conduction System - surgery; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Pulmonary Veins - drug effects; Pulmonary Veins - surgery; Recurrence; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1383-875X; 1572-8595
• DOI: 10.1007/s10840-015-0019-z

Purpose Dormant conduction (DC) induced by intravenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP) after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) could predict subsequent PV reconnection (RC) sites. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the DC and RC sites during the long-term follow-up. Methods Ninety-one consecutive patients (62 males; mean age, 62 ± 11 years) with symptomatic persistent ( n  = 18) or paroxysmal ( n  = 73) atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent PVI were included in this study. After a successful PVI, we administered ATP to reveal the DC sites. In total, DC sites were observed in 46 (51 %) patients, and all were left un-ablated after marking or tagging all of them using fluoroscopic images and a three-dimensional (3D) mapping system. After the follow-up period (14.8 ± 3.6 months), AF recurred in 29 (32 %) patients, all of whom had a DC in the initial ablation session, and underwent redo sessions. We divided the DC sites into three groups; in group A, the RC sites differed from the DC sites, in group B, the RC sites were identical to the DC sites, and in group C, the RC sites involved both DC and other sites. Results As a result, 20 (69 %), 3 (11.5 %), and 6 (19.5 %) patients belonged to groups A, B, and C, respectively. Statistical analyses comparing the agreement between DC and the RC sites yielded a weak relationship. Conclusions DC sites implying RC sites had a weak agreement, and other options to predict RC sites will be required to improve the clinical benefit of CA of AF.