Changes in SEC grade on TEE from the first to repeat ablation
Changes in the SEC grade from the first session to the repeat session in patients undergoing TEE are shown in Table 7 and Figure 5. Among patients with a SEC grade 0 in the first session, 46% (225/493) did not undergo TEE at the repeat sessions. This trend was stronger in the early repeat group (≤180 days) than in the late repeat ablation group (>180 days) (82% vs. 16%, p < 0.001). In contrast, all 11 patients with SEC grade 4 at the first session were examined by TEE at repeat sessions, but the SEC grade improved in some patients.