2. Introduction
Catheter ablation has become a mainstream treatment option for atrial
fibrillation (AF). Electrical pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is well
established as the cornerstone of AF ablation.1,2However, frequent AF recurrence after ablation remains an unsolved
problem, with reported 1-year AF recurrence rates of
20-50%.2-4
The presence of left atrial low-voltage areas (LVAs) has been reported
to be strongly associated with AF recurrence after
ablation.5-7 Nevertheless, several randomized control
trials evaluating the efficacy of LVA ablation in addition to PVI
reported controversial results8-11 which suggested
that extra-pulmonary-vein AF substrate does not always localized within
LVAs.
The purpose of this study was to compare whole left atrial
electrophysiological degeneration between patients with and without
localize LVAs, and to explore clinical and mapping data associated with
AF recurrence after ablation.