Right septal macroreentrant tachycardia late after mitral valve repair: Importance of surgical access approach

Abstract

Background: Reentrant atrial tachycardias may occur after mitral valve surgery. These usually involve the left atrium or the lateral wall of the right atrium around the atriotomy scar. Objective: The purpose of this study was to test whether ablation could eliminate atrial tachycardia after mitral valve repair. Methods: Three patients (two men, one woman; mean age 57 ± 12 years) were studied 48 ± 38 months after mitral valve repair. In all cases, the surgical approach involved a transseptal incision. Tachycardia mapping was performed using multipolar catheters and the three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping system. The mean flutter cycle length was 313 ± 21 ms. All patients had dual-loop r..