Circulating primary bile acid is correlated with structural remodeling in atrial fibrillation.

Background: Circulating primary bile acid was involved in the regulation of cardiac ionic channel currents and ventricular myocyte apoptosis, but it was unknown whether or not it played a role in structural remodeling of AF. This study was aimed to testify the hypothesis that elevated chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) concentration correlated with left atrial low voltage area (LVA) and could induce apoptosis of atrial myocytes in AF.

Methods And Results: Serum concentrations of 12 types of bile acids were determined in patients with paroxysmal (n = 21), persistent AF (n = 20), and type A pre-excitation and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) (n = 19) and were correlated with LVA in AF, which was obtained by electroanatomical mapping during ablation.

Low voltage areas in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: The prevalence, risk factors and impact on the effectiveness of catheter ablation.

Background: The prevalence, risk factors of left atrial low voltage areas (LVA) in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and the impact of LVA on the effectiveness of circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) were not fully clarified.

Methods: One hundred fifty patients (mean age 64.7 years, 89 males) with PAF were consecutively enrolled to undergo CPVI.

[Clinical results of circumferential pulmonary vein linear ablation in 100 patients with atrial fibrillation].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of treating atrial fibrillation (AF) with circumferential pulmonary vein (PV) linear ablation guided by 3 dimensional mapping system and single circular mapping catheter.

Methods: From April 2004 to January 2005, PV isolation with circumferential PV linear ablation guided by CARTO system (in 76 patients) or EnSite-NavX system (in 24 patients) was performed in 100 consecutive patients with significantly symptomatic, drug refractory AF. The procedural end-point was complete electrical isolation of bilateral PV.