RADIOFREQUENCY CATHETER ABLATION IN SYMPTOMATIC VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIA

Background: Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is an effective me thod to cure both supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in certain centres.Aim: To assess the results of RFCA in VA at Siriraj Ho spital. Method: Electrophysiologic study; mapping, using both earliest endocardial activation and pace mapping, and ablation were performed. Results: Thirty patients with symptomatic VA underwent RFCA. The mean age was 44 years. Eight patients had underlying heart disease (two pr olapsed mitral valve, three myocarditis, two dilated cardiomyopathy an d one mitral stenosis). Thirty-six morphologies of VA were detected fr om the study. Thirty-three morphologic tachycardias attempted were suc cessfully ablated; 17, 10 and six were right VT, left VT and premature ventricular contraction (PVC), respectively. Failure of ablation occu rred in one patient with left VT. Only miner complications occurred in this study. There was no difference in cycle length and endocardial a ctivation time between right and left VT. 12/12 identical pace mapping was more easily performed in right VT than in left VT. The fluoroscop ic and procedure times in left VT were significantly longer than in ri ght VT. Relapse occurred in six patients. Re-ablation was successfully performed in four patients, giving a final success rate of 93%.