Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation of Pulmonary Veins: does Anatomy Influence the Outcome?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia found in clinical practice and a frequent cause of hospital admission. AF is associated with a 5-fold increased risk of stroke and an approximately 2-fold increased risk of death, in addition to also being associated with heart failure development.

Approximately 20 years ago, the percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of the pulmonary veins (PVs) was described by Haissaguerre et al. as an effective technique and curative treatment of paroxysmal AF (PAF). The initial technique of AF ablation was developed based on the observation that the electrical activity triggers (ectopic foci), responsible for causing PAF, are frequently located in the PVs. As a consequence, the initiation of PAF could be prevented through the ablation of these triggers.

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