Study population
A total of 325 PsAF patients who underwent a first-time catheter ablation (CA) in our institution between September 2008 and July 2015 were retrospectively included. In this population, PVI plus linear ablation or EGM-guided ablation was performed in 230 and 82 patients, respectively. Following propensity-matched score analysis, 104 patients (LINE-group: 52, EGM-group: 52) were included in the analysis. PsAF was defined as AF lasting more than 7 days with or without anti-arrhythmic drugs, and long-standing persistent AF was defined as continuous AF for more than 12 months.13 AF duration was defined as the duration from the date when the AF was detected on 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to either the date of AF termination by medical/electrical cardioversion, or the date of the initial CA procedure (if AF persisted despite medical/electrical cardioversion). The study was approved by the Jikei University School of Medicine institutional review board and ethics committee. All patients provided their written informed consent.