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).