Left atrial linear lesions

Abstract

Left atrial linear lesions are an indispensable part of an electrophysiologists armory of ablation strategies, especially in the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and associated macro reentries. Various ablation techniques have been developed over the recent years, although the mechanisms of atrial fibrillation are still incompletely understood. It has been shown that linear ablation at the mitral isthmus or the roof of the left atrium contributes to the increase of AF cycle length approximately as much as the isolation of the pulmonary veins, favoring the termination of AF either directly to sinus rhythm or to atrial tachycardia. Assessment of the impact of ablation and the d..