Congenital left ventricular diverticulum: A rare cause of cardiac arrhythmia.

Congenital left ventricular diverticula are rare cardiac malformations that usually remain asymptomatic. However, life-threatening complications as ventricular arrhythmias, systemic embolism, spontaneous rupture and development of valvular regurgitation, are described. Diagnosis is based on excluding coronary artery disease, traumatic or inflammatory causes, and other underlying cardiomyopathies.

Evaluation of a simple technique aiming at optimizing point-by-point isolation of the left pulmonary veins: a randomized study.

Aims: We sought to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of a simple technique for stabilizing the ablation catheter during anterior pulmonary vein (PV) encirclement in patients ablated for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. This consisted of bending the ablation catheter in the left atrium, creating a loop that was cautiously advanced together with the long sheath at the ostium and then within the left superior PV. The curve was then progressively released to reach a stable contact with the anterior part of the left PVs.

Evaluation of left atrial linear ablation using contiguous and optimized radiofrequency lesions: the ALINE study.

Aims: Achieving block across linear lesions is challenging. We prospectively evaluated radiofrequency (RF) linear ablation at the roof and mitral isthmus (MI) using point-by-point contiguous and optimized RF lesions.

Methods And Results: Forty-one consecutive patients with symptomatic persistent AF underwent stepwise contact force (CF)-guided catheter ablation during ongoing AF.

Electrical storm in a patient with dilated non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Bundle-branch re-entrant ventricular tachycardia (BBRVT) is usually seen in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The diagnosis should be suspected in case the QRS morphology during the tachycardia is identical to that in sinus rhythm. Identifying patients with BBRVT is important because they can be easily treated by catheter ablation.

Changes in P-wave area and P-wave duration after circumferential pulmonary vein isolation.

Aims: The effect of circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) on P-wave characteristics is not clear. We used the signal-averaged (SA) electrocardiogram (ECG) and the ECG derived vector cardiogram (dVCG) to study the influence of CPVI on P-wave duration (PWD) and P-wave area (PWA) and studied whether changes were associated with successful outcome after initial CPVI.

Methods And Results: Thirty-nine patients (56 +/- 10 years, 72% males) underwent CPVI for paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).

Incidence, timing, and characteristics of acute changes in heart rate during ongoing circumferential pulmonary vein isolation.

Aims: Previous studies showed that catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) results in vagal denervation with an increase in average heart rate (HR) and a reduced overall HR variability (HRV) at follow-up. We analysed acute ablation-induced changes in HR and short-term HRV during percutaneous circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI). We also studied whether observed changes were predictors of successful outcome after first CPVI.

Expanding the phenotype of sudden cardiac death-An unusual presentation of a family with a Lamin A/C mutation.

Familial occurrence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is related to a variety of clinical conditions, which can be delineated in up to 40% of families through a combination of cardiovascular examination and genetic studies. Patients with Lamin A/C gene mutations are at increased risk for SCD, but "laminopathies" are not included into clinical algorithms of SCD. Here we present a family with SCD in the absence of left ventricular dysfunction, related to a Lamin A/C mutation.

Ablation of an idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia originating from the posterior mitral annulus in a toddler.

Ablation of a mitral annulus (MA)-ventricular tachycardia (VT), a rare form of idiopathic left VT, has not yet been described in patients <2 years of age. We describe a case of a toddler with an incessant, poorly tolerated idiopathic VT (190 bpm) refractory to medical therapy, which was successfully ablated in the left ventricle at the infero-posterior part of the MA. Different diagnostic and ablation steps are described.

Intra- and interatrial asynchrony in patients with heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is associated with atrial conduction delay. Color tissue Doppler imaging was used to evaluate intra- and interatrial asynchrony in patients with HF, patients with structural heart disease without HF, and controls. Twenty-three controls (mean age 65 +/- 13 years), 29 patients with structural heart disease without HF (mean age 68 +/- 9 years), and 29 patients with HF (mean age 67 +/- 9 years) were studied.