Effect of left atrial circumferential ablation for atrial fibrillation on left atrial transport function.

Background: The effects of left atrial (LA) circumferential ablation on LA function in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been well described.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of LA circumferential ablation on LA function.

Methods: Gated, multiphase, dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scans of the chest with three-dimensional reconstructions of the heart were used to calculate the LA ejection fraction (EF) in 36 patients with paroxysmal (n = 27) or chronic (n = 9) AF (mean age 55 +/- 11 years) and in 10 control subjects with no history of AF.

Computed tomographic analysis of the anatomy of the left atrium and the esophagus: implications for left atrial catheter ablation.

Background: During left atrial (LA) catheter ablation, an atrioesophageal fistula can develop as a result of thermal injury of the esophagus during ablation along the posterior LA. No in vivo studies have examined the relationship of the esophagus to the LA. The purpose of this study was to describe the topographic anatomy of the esophagus and the posterior LA by use of CT.