Neuropsychological Effects of MRI-Detected Brain Lesions after Left Atrial Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Long Term Results of the MACPAF Study
Atrial Fibrillation Friday, August 30th, 2013CIRCEP: August 29, 2013
Background—Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected brain lesions are common following left atrial catheter ablation (LACA) for symptomatic atrial fibrillation. The clinical relevance of these acute ischemic lesions is not fully understood, but ablation-related cerebral injury could contribute to cognitive dysfunction.
Methods and Results—In the prospective “Mesh Ablator versus Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Ablation of Symptomatic Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation” study, serial 3 Tesla brain MRIs and neuropsychological assessment were performed to analyze the rate of ablation-related brain lesions and their impact on cognitive function. Thirty-seven patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (median age 63.0 (IQR 57-68); 41% female; median CHA2DS2VASc score 2 (IQR 1-3)) underwent 41 ablation procedures according to study criteria. None of these patients had overt neurological deficits following ablation. read more
