Ablation for atrial fibrillation has become a widely accepted and practiced treatment for this arrhythmia. Pulmonary vein isolation was performed in 3 patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation. A 3D electroanatomic map of the left atrium was constructed with CARTO system. The pulmonary veins were encircled by continuous radiofrequency ablation lines. Ecocardiographic evaluation of the left atrium was performed before the procedure and at follow-up. Follow-up at 24 months showed the presence of sinus rhythm in 2 patients; the third one is in sinus rhythm at his 3 months follow-up. The quality of life was improved in all patients. No clinical signs of pulmonary vein stenosis were observed. Even if our experience is limited, our data suggest that pulmonary vein isolation is an effective procedure to cure atrial fibrillation and it is reasonable that atrial-fibrillation ablation should be used as a first-line option for selected patients.
Keywords: atrial fibrillation, pulmonary vein isolation.