Methods:
This is a retrospective observational study of AF patients who underwent catheter ablation at Tulane Medical Center. All patients were treated according to the current guidelines with rate/rhythm control and OAC. Patients who were scheduled for catheter ablation received pre-ablation cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to ascertain LA fibrosis, LA and LAA anatomical and functional characteristics as well as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Catheter ablation techniques included PVI with or without additional ablations. Additional ablation lines were left to the discretion of the treating physician. A subset of patients who completed AF ablation also underwent another CMR study approximately three months to one year after their procedure to re-assess LA and LAA anatomical and functional parameters and associated changes post-ablation. All relevant baseline demographic information, past medical history, current clinical parameters, and imaging characteristics were collected and stored in a HIPAA compliant, secure database for analysis. The Tulane university institutional review board approved this study (IRB #2019-1803).