Six-Year Follow-up of Catheter Ablation in Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Background: Although pulmonary vein (PV) antrum isolation is an established therapy for drug-resistant paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), long-term (>5 years) follow-up data are limited. This study investigated long-term clinical outcome of catheter ablation. Methods and Results: From September 2003 to August 2006, 161 patients (mean age, 60 +/- 9 years; 119 male) with symptomatic drug-refractory PAF who underwent extensive encircling PV isolation (EEPVI) with a double Lasso technique were included. Right-sided and left-sided circular lesions encircling the ipsilateral PVs were created. The procedure endpoint was electrical isolation of the PV antrum. Patients with recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia (ATa) had their previous lesions assessed and consolidated. Trigger ablation was added if necessary. EEPVI was successfully performed at the initial procedure. During a median follow-up of 6.4 years (25th-75th percentile, 5.8-7.1 years), 86 patients (53.4%) had recurrent ATa. Among 78, 15 and 4 patients undergoing 2nd, 3rd and 4th procedures, PV reconnections were observed in 68, 10 and 2, respectively. During a median follow-up of 6.0 years (25th-75th percentile, 5.2-6.9 years) after a mean of 1.6 +/- 0.7 procedures per patient, 144 patients (89.4%) were free from ATa. No progression toward persistent AF was observed in any patients. Conclusions: The vast majority of drug-resistant PAF could be controlled by EEPVI without an additional atrial substrate modification. No progression toward persistent AF was observed during a median follow-up of 6 years.