13th International Congress
THE "NEW FRONTIERS"
OF ARRHYTHMIAS 1998

January 24-31, 1998
Marilleva, Trento, Italy

RT-162

Atrial flutter radiofrequency catheter ablation modifies the recurrence of atrial fibrillation?

A. Bonso, G. Gasparini, S. Temistoclakis, P. Delise*, L. Coro*, L. Targa, L. Patrassi, A. Raviele.
Cardiologic Operative Units, Hospitals of Mestre and *Feltre, Italy

Introduction

Several reports refer high efficacy and low number of complications for radiofrequency catheter ablation in common atrial flutter^1-5. In the various reports recurrences range about 10 to 40 percent^1-5. This wide variability is likely to be dependent on the different selection of patients. Moreover recurrences probably depend on the difficulty of creating an anatomic conduction block, bidirectional and steady in the inferior vena cava-tricuspid anulus isthmus^6,7. For this reason it is often necessary a second procedure to obtain an effective result⁸. The clinical history of such patients is more controversial as to new onset of atrial fibrillation^1-7. Furthermore, it is not clear whether ablation of atrial flutter can modify the natural history of atrial fibrillation in patients with both arrhythmias^3,9.

Aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with common atrial flutter with and without atrial fibrillation.