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Sinus of Valsalva safe site for ablation in some patients
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The sinus of Valsalva is a safe and effective site to ablate in patients with atrial and ventricular tachycardias, study results suggested.
Researchers from the Academic Hospital of the University of Freiburg in Germany enrolled 21 patients with ectopic atrial tachycardia (n=6) and ventricular tachycardia/premature ventricular complexes (n=15) into the study.
The aortic wall structure of the patients was assessed using transesophageal echocardiography and MRI.
According to the researchers, aortic wall integrity was confirmed in all patients by transesophageal echocardiography and MRI. No recurrences of tachycardia were clinically reported or documented by 24-hour Holter recordings in the patients with ectopic atrial tachycardia. Two patients (13.3%) required a second ablation within one to three months in the group with ventricular tachycardia/premature ventricular complexes.
“[One] case of aortic leaflet thickening and one asymptomatic cerebral ischemic event were detected using imaging postprocedure, which suggests that there are no detectable long-term structural sequelae to ablation in the sinus of Valsalva,” the researchers wrote.
For more information:
- Heart Rhythm. 2008;5:1265-1272.