Introduction:
Pulmonary vein antral isolation (PVAI) is an effective strategy for
catheter ablation of paroxysmal AF (PAF). 1–5 Various
adjunctive ablation strategies have been evaluated for catheter ablation
of non-paroxysmal AF (NPAF) and found to have limited success.2,4,6 Unfavorable outcomes for stepwise linear
ablation of NPAF in clinical trials may be attributable to
pro-arrhythmic effects of incomplete ablation lines, particularly in the
absence of contact-force sensing (CFS) RFA catheters.4,7,8 It is unknown, however, if a more extensive
initial ablation strategy results in improved outcomes following repeat
ablation procedures. We compared multiple-procedure catheter ablation
outcomes of stepwise linear ablation to left atrial (LA) posterior wall
isolation (PWI) in patients undergoing NPAF ablation using a CFS RFA
catheter.