The recognition that paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is predominantly triggered
by ectopic beats arising from the vicinity of pulmonary veins (PVs) has spurred the
establishment of percutaneous procedures specifically designed to electrically sequestrate
the arrhythmogenic PV from the vulnerable left atrium (LA) substrate.
1
Recently, the procedure has evolved with the development of purpose-built pulmonary
vein isolation (PVI) tools, such as the cryoballoon catheter. This article discusses
the anatomic and electrophysiologic bases for the interpretation of pulmonary vein
potentials (PVPs) using a small-caliber circular mapping catheter (CMC) and provides
an expanded discussion on the pacing maneuvers relevant to cryoballoon-based PVI procedures.Abbreviations:
AF (atrial fibrillation), CMC (circular mapping catheter), LA (left atrium), LAA (left atrial appendage), LIPV (left inferior pulmonary vein), LSPV (left superior pulmonary vein), PV (pulmonary vein), PVI (pulmonary vein isolation), PVP (pulmonary vein potential), RA (right atrium), RF (radiofrequency), RIPV (right inferior pulmonary vein), RSPV (right superior pulmonary vein), SVC (superior vena cava)Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 24, 2015
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© 2015 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.