Impact of Preoperative 64-Slice CT Scanning on Mini-Maze Atrial Fibrillation Surgery

Treatment of lone atrial fibrillation: minimally invasive pulmonary vein isolation, partial cardiac denervation and excision of the left atrial appendage

Since 1999, my colleagues and I have diligently pursued a minimally invasive surgical, beating-heart, left atrial isolation technique that is offered to patients with lone atrial fibrillation (AF). We began clinical cases in 2003. In 2005, we reported our initial experience with video-assisted bilateral pulmonary vein (PV) isolation and left atrial appendage (LAA) exclusion for the minimally invasive treatment of AF (Wolf technique). From our experience in over 1,000 cases there have been many lessons learned in the evaluation, selection and minimally invasive surgical treatment of patients with lone AF. In our experience we have had zero mortality and no conversions to sternotomy. Recently we reviewed 157 patients who are now 1 to 9 years out from the Wolf technique. The patients' ages ranged from 15 to 87 years old. The AF-free rate for paroxysmal AF was 92%, for persistent AF 85%, and for long-standing persistent AF 75%. The follow-up included 7-day continuous monitoring. There were no deaths (personal review). The Wolf technique is a safe and effective treatment for selected patients with lone AF.

Role of cardiac computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in guiding management and treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation: state of the art review

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In view of an aging population, the prevalence and incidence of AF are on the rise and are expected to double in the coming decades, posing a huge economic burden on already strained resources. New innovative therapies such as pulmonary vein isolation and percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage have emerged. The current applications of such therapies would not have been possible without the pivotal role of multimodality cardiovascular imaging. The role of echocardiography in guiding therapy has been extensively reviewed. However, there are new data in support of other complementary imaging modalities, mainly cardiac computed tomography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, which will be the focus of this review.