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Hopman LHGA, van Pouderoijen N, Mulder MJ, van der Laan AM, Bhagirath P, Nazarian S, Niessen HWM, Ferrari VA, Allaart CP, Götte MJW. Atrial Ablation Lesion Evaluation by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance: Review of Imaging Strategies and Histological Correlations. JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2023; 9:2665-2679. [PMID: 37737780 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2023.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is a valuable noninvasive tool for evaluating tissue response following catheter ablation of atrial tissue. This review provides an overview of the contemporary CMR strategies to visualize atrial ablation lesions in both the acute and chronic postablation stages, focusing on their strengths and limitations. Moreover, the accuracy of CMR imaging in comparison to atrial lesion histology is discussed. T2-weighted CMR imaging is sensitive to edema and tends to overestimate lesion size in the acute stage after ablation. Noncontrast agent-enhanced T1-weighted CMR imaging has the potential to provide more accurate assessment of lesions in the acute stage but may not be as effective in the chronic stage. Late gadolinium enhancement imaging can be used to detect chronic atrial scarring, which may inform repeat ablation strategies. Moreover, novel imaging strategies are being developed, but their efficacy in characterizing atrial lesions is yet to be determined. Overall, CMR imaging has the potential to provide virtual histology that aids in evaluating the efficacy and safety of catheter ablation and monitoring of postprocedural myocardial changes. However, technical factors, scanning during arrhythmia, and transmurality assessment pose challenges. Therefore, further research is needed to develop CMR strategies to visualize the ablation lesion maturation process more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mark J Mulder
- Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Pranav Bhagirath
- Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Saman Nazarian
- Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Penn Heart and Vascular Center, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Hans W M Niessen
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Victor A Ferrari
- Penn Cardiovascular Institute, Penn Heart and Vascular Center, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Marco J W Götte
- Department of Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Takahara H, Kiuchi K, Fukuzawa K, Takami M, Izawa Y, Nakamura T, Nakasone K, Sonoda Y, Yamamoto K, Suzuki Y, Tani KI, Iwai H, Nakanishi Y, Shoda M, Murakami A, Yonehara S, Negi N, Somiya Y, Hirata KI. The impact of the procedural parameters on the lesion characteristics associated with AF recurrence: Late-gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-MRI) analysis. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2023; 34:527-535. [PMID: 36598438 DOI: 10.1111/jce.15805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lesion gaps assessed by late-gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-MRI) are associated with the atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation. Animal studies have demonstrated that the catheter-contact force (CF), stability, and orientation are strongly associated with lesion formation. However, the impact of those procedural factors on the lesion characteristics associated with AF recurrence has not been well discussed. METHODS A total of 30 patients with paroxysmal AF who underwent catheter ablation were retrospectively enrolled. Radiofrequency (RF) applications were performed with 35 W for 30 s in a point-by-point fashion under esophageal temperature monitoring. The inter-lesion distance was 4 mm. The lesions were visualized by LGE-MRI 3 months postprocedure and assessed by the LGE volume (ml), gap number (GN), and average gap length (AGL [mm]). The gaps were defined as nonenhancement sites of >4 mm. The procedural factors including the catheter-CF, stability, and orientation were calculated on the NavX system. RESULTS Six (20%) of 30 patients had AF recurrences 12 months postablation. A univariate analysis demonstrated that the AGL was associated with AF recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.20, confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.42, p = .02). All AF recurrence were found in patients with an AGL of >7 mm. The catheter-CF and stability were associated with an AGL of >7 mm, but not the orientation (CF-HR: 0.62, CI: 0.39-0.97, p = .038; stability-HR: 0.8, CI: 0.66-0.98, p = .027). CONCLUSIONS RF ablation with a low CF and poor catheter stability has a potential risk of creating large lesion gaps associated with AF recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Takahara
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Kiuchi
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Koji Fukuzawa
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Takami
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yu Izawa
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Nakamura
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Nakasone
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yusuke Sonoda
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kyoko Yamamoto
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yuya Suzuki
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Tani
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hidehiro Iwai
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yusuke Nakanishi
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiko Shoda
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Atsushi Murakami
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Shogo Yonehara
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Negi
- Division of Radiology, Center for Radiology and Radiation Oncology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Somiya
- Division of Radiology, Center for Radiology and Radiation Oncology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Hirata
- Section of Arrhythmia, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.,Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
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Abstract
Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) MRI is capable of detecting not only native cardiac fibrosis, but also ablation-induced scarring. Thus, it offers the unique opportunity to assess ablation lesions non-invasively. In the atrium, LGE-MRI has been shown to accurately detect and localise gaps in ablation lines. With a negative predictive value close to 100% it can reliably rule out pulmonary vein reconnection non-invasively and thus may avoid unnecessary invasive repeat procedures where a pulmonary vein isolation only approach is pursued. Even LGE-MRI-guided repeat pulmonary vein isolation has been demonstrated to be feasible as a standalone approach. LGE-MRI-based lesion assessment may also be of value to evaluate the efficacy of ventricular ablation. In this respect, the elimination of LGE-MRI-detected arrhythmogenic substrate may serve as a potential endpoint, but validation in clinical studies is lacking. Despite holding great promise, the widespread use of LGE-MRI is still limited by the absence of standardised protocols for image acquisition and post-processing. In particular, reproducibility across different centres is impeded by inconsistent thresholds and internal references to define fibrosis. Thus, uniform methodological and analytical standards are warranted to foster a broader implementation in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lluís Mont
- Arrhythmia Section, Cardiovascular Institute, Clínic - University Hospital Barcelona Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cardiovascular (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ivo Roca-Luque
- Arrhythmia Section, Cardiovascular Institute, Clínic - University Hospital Barcelona Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cardiovascular (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
| | - Till F Althoff
- Arrhythmia Section, Cardiovascular Institute, Clínic - University Hospital Barcelona Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Berlin, Germany
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Mao ZJ, Pei Y, Lin H, Xiang Y, Huang ZQ, Xiao FY, Chen YH. Assessment of High-Power Catheter Ablation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-Analysis. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:609590. [PMID: 34746245 PMCID: PMC8564349 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.609590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: High-power radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation was considered as a promising alternative strategy to conventional-power ablation in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study sought to compare the efficacy and safety of high-power energy delivery to that of conventional-power setting in AF catheter ablation. Methods: We performed a systematic review of relevant literature in Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar database. Sixteen eligible studies totaling 3,307 patients (1,929 for high-power ablation; 1,378 for conventional-power ablation) met inclusion criteria. Results: During a median 12 month follow-up, high-power ablation showed a significantly higher AF/atrial tachycardia-free survival rate in comparison with conventional-power ablation (risk ratio [RR] 1.09, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.15, p = 0.008). Notably, a high-power strategy convincingly decreased the procedure time (weighted mean difference [WMD] -46.11 min, 95% CI -59.15 to -33.07, p < 0.001) and RF ablation time (WMD -19.19 min, 95% CI -24.47 to -13.90, p < 0.001), along with reduced fluoroscopy time (WMD -7.82 min, 95% CI -15.13 to -0.68, p = 0.036). In addition, there was no perceptible difference in the potential risk of procedure-related complications between these two approaches (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.37, p = 0.428). Conclusions: High-power RF catheter ablation was associated with an improvement in long-term sinus rhythm maintenance for treatment of AF, without exacerbating the risk of adverse events during the procedure. Impressively, high-power pulmonary vein isolation had the potential to shorten the application duration and minimize fluoroscopic exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Jie Mao
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yan Pei
- Department of Cardiology, The First People's Hospital of JinZhong, Yuci, China
| | - Hui Lin
- Department of Respiratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yin Xiang
- Department of Cardiology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to The Medical School of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhou-Qing Huang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Fang-Yi Xiao
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yi-He Chen
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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Liang D, Taeschler D, Goepfert C, Arnold P, Zurbuchen A, Sweda R, Reichlin T, Tanner H, Roten L, Haeberlin A. Radiofrequency ablation lesion assessment using optical coherence tomography - a proof-of-concept study. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2019; 30:934-940. [PMID: 30883977 DOI: 10.1111/jce.13917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) is an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation. However, ablation lesions are usually only assessed functionally. The immediate effect of RFA on the tissue is not directly visualized. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique that uses light to capture high-resolution images with histology-like quality. Therefore, it might be used for high-precision imaging of ablation lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Radiofrequency ablation lesions (n = 25) were produced on the freshly excised left and right ventricular porcine endocardium. A Thermocool ST SF NAV ablation catheter (Biosense Webster Inc) and an EP-Shuttle ablation generator (Stockert GmbH) were used to produce ablation lesions with powers from 10 to 40 W (energies ranging from 100 Ws to 900 Ws). After ablation, the tissue was imaged with a swept source OCT system (at a wavelength of 1300 nm). Subsequently, the ablation lesions underwent the histological analysis. The ablation lesions could be visualized by OCT in all 17 samples with ablation powers ≥20 W, meanwhile, no lesion could be observed in the other eight samples with lower power (10 W). Lesion depths and lesion radiuses, as assessed by OCT, correlated well with those observed on the subsequent histological analysis (Spearman's r = 0.94, P < 0.001 and r = 0.84, P < 0.001). In addition, successful three-dimensional reconstructions of ablation lesions were performed. CONCLUSION OCT can provide a visual high-resolution assessment of ablation lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deming Liang
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Taeschler
- HuCE - optoLab, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Biel, Switzerland
| | - Christine Goepfert
- COMPATH, Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Patrik Arnold
- HuCE - optoLab, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Biel, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Zurbuchen
- SITEM - Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Romy Sweda
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Reichlin
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hildegard Tanner
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Roten
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Haeberlin
- Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,SITEM - Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Cardiology, Electrophysiology and Ablation Unit, Bordeaux University Hospital (CHU), Pessac, France
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