Left atrial deformation imaging with ultrasound based two-dimensional speckle-tracking predicts the rate of recurrence of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation after successful ablation procedures.

Objective: Since predictors of recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after ablation procedures are poorly defined, this prospective study was conducted to assess the value of left atrial (LA) deformation imaging with two-dimensional speckle-tracking (2D-ST) to predict AF recurrences after successful ablation procedures.

Methods And Results: One hundred and three consecutive patients (age 58.1 ± 16.