Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Left atrial intramyocardial fat at pulmonary vein reconnection sites during atrial fibrillation redo ablation
- Observational study
- proof-of-concept
- consecutive patients
Authors' conclusion
Intramyocardial fat is co-localized with two-thirds of PV-LA reconnection points in patients undergoing AF redo ablation. Reconnection segments exhibit significantly higher inFAT volumes compared to non-reconnection segments.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence undergoing redo ablation with at least one PV-LA reconnection; Intramyocardial fat (inFAT) mapped on first-ablation pre-procedural multidetector computed tomography (MDCT)
- Participants
- 45 patients
- Exposure
- Reconnection vs non-reconnection pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) segments
- Outcome
- Relationship between inFAT localization and PV-LA reconnections
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
inFAT at PV-LA reconnection points and segments
| Group | Total inFAT volume | Dense inFAT | Fat-myocardial admixture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reconnection segments | 8.05 ± 6.56 μL | 0.06 ± 0.06 μL | 7.98 ± 6.52 μL |
| Non-reconnection segments | 5.40 ± 5.18 μL | 0.03 ± 0.04 μL | 5.37 ± 5.16 μL |
- Reconnection segments vs Non-reconnection segments: P < 0.001 — total inFAT volume
- Reconnection segments vs Non-reconnection segments: P < 0.001 — dense inFAT
- Reconnection segments vs Non-reconnection segments: P < 0.001 — fat-myocardial admixture
- PV-LA reconnection points with inFAT in the 6 mm tag point
- 103 out of 156 (66.0%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Left atrial intramyocardial fat at pulmonary vein reconnection sites during atrial fibrillation redo ablation. Europace. Published 20 February 2025. doi:10.1093/europace/euaf038
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it