ESC: Detecting Fibrosis with MRI to Improve Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation Success

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Here is an update on the DECAAF study that Dr. Nassir Marrouche presented at the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam today.

According to Dr. Marrouche, the amount of fibrosis (scar tissue created in the heart by atrial fibrillation), as measured on pre-ablation MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging), predicts the success of catheter ablations for atrial fibrillation.

Significantly, the most important predictor of success (in addition to the stage of fibrosis) was how much of the fibrotic tissue (fibrosis) was actually ablated during the procedure. What this means for afib patients is that just encircling the pulmonary veins during ablation may not be sufficient if some of the fibrotic tissue is located elsewhere in the atrium. Thus, the use of MRI to identify the location of all fibrotic tissue throughout the atrium can increase the possibility of a more complete and durable result from the ablation.

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