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Cellini F, Narducci ML, Pavone C, Bencardino G, Perna F, Pinnacchio G, Chiesa S, Massaccesi M, Gambacorta MA, Manfrida S, Longo S, Mannocci A, Di Gregorio G, Boldrini L, Tagliaferri L, Indovina L, Placidi L, Stimato G, Spera FR, Scacciavillani R, Crea F, Valentini V, Pelargonio G. Ventricular tachycardia ablation through radiation therapy (VT-ART) consortium: Concept description of an observational multicentric trial via matched pair analysis. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1020966. [PMID: 36923954 PMCID: PMC10008881 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1020966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a life-threatening condition often observed in patients with structural heart disease. Ventricular tachycardia ablation through radiation therapy (VT-ART) for sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia seems promising, effective, and safe. VT-ART delivers focused, high-dose radiation, usually in a single fraction of 25 Gy, allowing ablation of VT by inducing myocardial scars. The procedure is fully non-invasive; therefore, it can be easily performed in patients with contraindications to invasive ablation procedures. Definitive data are lacking, and no direct comparison with standard procedures is available. Discussion The aim of this multicenter observational study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of VT-ART, comparing the clinical outcome of patients undergone to VT-ART to patients not having received such a procedure. The two groups will not be collected by direct, prospective accrual to avoid randomization among the innovative and traditional arm: A retrospective selection through matched pair analysis will collect patients presenting features similar to the ones undergone VT-ART within the consortium (in each center independently). Our trial will enroll patients with optimized medical therapy in whom endocardial and/or epicardial radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the gold standard for VT ablation, is either unfeasible or fails to control VT recurrence. Our primary outcome is investigating the difference in overall cardiovascular survival among the group undergoing VT-ART and the one not exposed to the innovative procedure. The secondary outcome is evaluating the difference in ventricular event-free survival after the last procedure (i.e., last RFA vs. VT-ART) between the two groups. An additional secondary aim is to evaluate the reduction in the number of VT episodes comparing the 3 months before the procedure to the ones recorded at 6 months (from the 4th to 6th month) following VT-ART and RFA, respectively. Other secondary objectives include identifying the benefits of VT-ART on cardiac function, as evaluated through an electrocardiogram, echocardiographic, biochemical variables, and on patient quality of life. We calculated the sample size (in a 2:1 ratio) upon enrolling 149 patients: 100 in the non-exposed control group and 49 in the VT-ART group. Progressively, on a multicentric basis supervised by the promoting center in the VT-ART consortium, for each VT-ART patient enrollment, a matched pair patient profile according to the predefined features will be shared with the consortium to enroll a patient that has not undergone VT-ART. Conclusion Our trial will provide insight into the efficacy and safety of VT-ART through a matched pair analysis, via an observational, multicentric study of two groups of patients with or without VT-ART in the multicentric consortium (with subgroup stratification into dynamic cohorts).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Cellini
- Dipartimento Universitario Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Lucia Narducci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Pavone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Bencardino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Perna
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Gaetano Pinnacchio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Chiesa
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariangela Massaccesi
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Gambacorta
- Dipartimento Universitario Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Manfrida
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Longo
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alice Mannocci
- Faculty of Economics, Universitas Mercatorum, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Gregorio
- Dipartimento Universitario Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Boldrini
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Tagliaferri
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Indovina
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Placidi
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Gerardina Stimato
- Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Raffaele Spera
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Scacciavillani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Filippo Crea
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Istituto di Cardiologia, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Valentini
- Dipartimento Universitario Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Gemma Pelargonio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Cozzi S, Bottoni N, Botti A, Trojani V, Alì E, Finocchi Ghersi S, Cremaschi F, Iori F, Ciammella P, Iori M, Iotti C. The Use of Cardiac Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SBRT) to Manage Ventricular Tachycardia: A Case Report, Review of the Literature and Technical Notes. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12111783. [PMID: 36579492 PMCID: PMC9694192 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12111783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND among cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular tachycardia (VT) is one that can lead to cardiac death, although significant progress has been made in its treatment, including the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and radiofrequency catheter ablation. Nevertheless, long-term recurrence rates remain in about half of patients and drastically impact the patient's quality of life. Moreover, recurrent ICD shocks are painful and are associated with higher mortality and worsening of heart failure. Recently, more and more experiences are demonstrating potential efficacy in the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) (also called cardiac radio-ablation) to treat this condition. In this paper, we report our experience in the use of cardiac radio-ablation for the treatment of refractory ventricular tachycardia with a focus on the technique used, along with a review of the literature and technical notes. CASE PRESENTATION an 81-year-old male patient with a long history of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and mechanical mitral prosthesis underwent a biventricular cardioverter defibrillator implant after atrial ventricular node ablation. At the end of 2021, the number of tachycardias increased significantly to about 10 episodes per day. After failure of medical treatment and conventional RT catheter ablation, the patient was treated with SBRT for a total dose of 25 Gy in a single session at the site of the ectopic focus. No acute toxicity was recorded. After SBRT (follow-up 7 months) no other VT episodes were recorded. CONCLUSION SBRT appears to be safe and leads to a rapid reduction in arrhythmic storms as treatment for VT without acute toxicity, representing one of the most promising methods for treating VT storms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Cozzi
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Nicola Bottoni
- Department of Cardiology, Arrhythmology Center, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Andrea Botti
- Medical Physics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Valeria Trojani
- Medical Physics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Emanuele Alì
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Finocchi Ghersi
- Radiation Oncolgy Unit, AOU Sant’Andrea, Facoltà di Medicina e Psicologia, Università La Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Cremaschi
- Engineer Clinical Specialist, Biosense Webster, Pratica di Mare, Pomezia, 00071 Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Iori
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Patrizia Ciammella
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Mauro Iori
- Medical Physics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Cinzia Iotti
- Radiation Oncology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
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Levis M, Dusi V, Magnano M, Cerrato M, Gallio E, Depaoli A, Ferraris F, De Ferrari GM, Ricardi U, Anselmino M. A case report of long-term successful stereotactic arrhythmia radioablation in a cardiac contractility modulation device carrier with giant left atrium, including a detailed dosimetric analysis. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:934686. [PMID: 36072883 PMCID: PMC9441661 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.934686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Catheter ablation (CA) is the current standard of care for patients suffering drug-refractory monomorphic ventricular tachycardias (MMVTs). Yet, despite significant technological improvements, recurrences remain common, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Stereotactic arrhythmia radioablation (STAR) is increasingly being adopted to overcome the limitations of conventional CA, but its safety and efficacy are still under evaluation. Case presentation We hereby present the case of a 73-year-old patient implanted with a mitral valve prosthesis, a cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator, and a cardiac contractility modulation device, who was successfully treated with STAR for recurrent drug and CA-resistant MMVT in the setting of advanced heart failure and a giant left atrium. We report a 2-year follow-up and a detailed dosimetric analysis. Conclusion Our case report supports the early as well as the long-term efficacy of 25 Gy single-session STAR. Despite the concomitant severe heart failure, with an overall heart minus planned target volume mean dosage below 5 Gy, no major detrimental cardiac side effects were detected. To the best of our knowledge, our dosimetric analysis is the most accurate reported so far in the setting of STAR, particularly for what concerns cardiac substructures and coronary arteries. A shared dosimetric planning among centers performing STAR will be crucial in the next future to fully disclose its safety profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Levis
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Veronica Dusi
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Massimo Magnano
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marzia Cerrato
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Elena Gallio
- Medical Physics Unit, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandro Depaoli
- Department of Radiology, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Federico Ferraris
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Gaetano Maria De Ferrari
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Gaetano Maria De Ferrari
| | | | - Matteo Anselmino
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences, Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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