Title:Ablation Therapy for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Ikechukwu Ifedili, Kristina Mouksian, David Jones, Ibrahim El Masri, Mark Heckle, John Jefferies and Yehoshua C. Levine*
Affiliation:
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Tennessee Health Science Center,
Memphis, TN, USA
Keywords:
Atrial fibrillation, ablation, pulmonary vein isolation, cryoballoon, radiofrequency, left atrium.
Abstract: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of electrical disturbance of the heart
and contributes to significant patient morbidity and mortality. With a better understanding of the
mechanisms of atrial fibrillation and improvements in mapping and ablation technologies, ablation
has become a preferred therapy for patients with symptomatic AF. Pulmonary Vein Isolation (PVI)
is the cornerstone for AF ablation therapy, but particularly in patients with AF occurring for longer
than 7 days (persistent AF), identifying clinically significant nonpulmonary vein targets and achieving
durability of ablation lesions remains an important challenge.