Outcomes of the secondary endpoint
To evaluate the impact of catheter ablation to the patients’ functional outcomes, we compared the NYHA class, NT-ProBNP level and TTE parameters between baseline and the end of follow-up. Both groups showed an improved NYHA class [medical treatment group: 2 (2, 3) vs 2 (2, 3), paired p = 0.001; catheter ablation group: 2 (1, 2) vs 2 (2, 2), paired p < 0.001], and a reduced NT-ProBNP level [medical treatment group: 1002.0 (547.6, 1604.0) vs 1337.0 (719.3, 1860.8), paired p = 0.002; catheter ablation group: 334.3 (187.1, 821.8) vs 859.2 (308.4, 1903.0), paired p < 0.001]. In TTE examination, only LAD significantly reduced (39.4 + 6.4 vs 41.1 + 6.2, paired p = 0.001) in the catheter ablation group, whereas the remaining TTE parameters were comparable between baseline and the end of follow-up in both groups (Figure 4). Sensitive analysis for the secondary endpoint with PSM further confirmed these results, which are shown in Figure S3 - S5.