Follow up
There were no significant differences in the atrial tachyarrhythmia
recurrence and rate of the administration of antiarrhythmic drugs during
the blanking period of 90 days after the ablation procedure
(Table 1 ). The mean follow-up period was 337 ± 122 (ranging
from 90 to 580) days. After the blanking period of the catheter
ablation, atrial tachyarrhythmias recurred in 20 patients (15.4 %, AF
recurrence in 19 patients including 3 with an LCPV, AT recurrence in 1
without an LCPV). A log-rank analysis demonstrated that there was no
significant difference with regard to atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence
in the patients with and without an LCPV (Figure 2 ). In the
univariate and multivariate analyses, recurrence during the blanking
period after the PVI was an independent risk factor for an atrial
tachyarrhythmia recurrence (Table 3 ).
Fifteen patients (11.5 %) underwent a second catheter ablation
procedure including 3 (2.3 %) with an LCPV. Perimitral atrial flutter
was observed in 1 patient without an LCPV. Reconnections of the RSPV,
RIPV, LSPV, and LIPV were 8 out of 15 (53.3%), 8 out of 15 (53.3%), 4
out of 12 (33.3%), and 4 out of 12 (33.3%), respectively. The ATP
dormant conduction sites were identical to the reconnected sites during
the second ablation session in 2 patients. Of note, no reconnections
were observed in any of the LCPV patients, and the LCPV ovality index
was not associated with atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence (P = 0.63).