Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in dilated-phase hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Substrate characterization and ablation outcome

Introduction Catheter ablation is a therapeutic option to suppress ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the setting of dilated-phase hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (DHCM). However, the characteristics of the arrhythmogenic substrate and the ablation outcome are not fully illustrated. Method A total of 23 ablation procedures for drug-refractory sustained monomorphic VTs in 13 DHCM patients (60 +/- 11 years, one female, the left ventricular [LV] ejection fraction 39% +/- 9%, the LV mass index 156 +/- 39 g/m(2)) were performed. The distribution of VT substrate as endocardial or epicardial/intramural was based on detailed mapping and ablation response during VT. Result Two patients underwent ablation of sustained monomorphic VT that was not scar-mediated tachycardia. Of the remaining 11 patients, eight (73%) patients had VT substrate in the basal regions, most frequently at the epicardial and/or intramural basal antero-septum. None of the patients had VT substrate located at the LV inferolateral region. Ablation at the right ventricular septum and the aortic cusps was done in four and five patients, respectively. Other approaches including bipolar and chemical ablations, were done in three and two patients, respectively. Six (55%) out of 11 patients (two patients lost follow-up) had VT recurrence. All the six patients had basal substrate. However, anti-tachycardia pacing was sufficient for VT termination except in one patient. Conclusion Catheter ablation of VT in patients with DHCM is challenging because of the predominant basal anteroseptal epicardial/intramural location of arrhythmogenic substrate. An ablation approach from multiple sites and/or adjunctive interventional techniques are often required.