Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation Treatment of Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia:Results in S3 Consecutive Patients

The efficacy and safety of radiofrequency cathcter ablation to eliminate atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (A VNRT) was evaluated in 53 consecutive patients with typi cal A VNRT. Primarily, slow pathway ablation was performed in 52 patients, and fast pathway ablation in 1 patient. Success was achieved in the patient in whom fast pathway abıa tion was attempted. Slow pathway ablation was successful in 47 patients out of 52 (% 90). In 3 of the remaining 5 patients. fast pathway ablation was attempted after unsuccessful slow pathway ablation. Success was achieved in one of them, atrioventricular (AV) block occurred in one and ablation was unsuccessful in the third one. There was no statistically significant change in the atriaHis interval (79 ± 19.2 msec before and 77.9 ± 13.7 msec after ablation) or effective refractory period of the fast pathway (289.5 ± 51.3 msec before, 271.7 ± 40.6 msec after ablation) after selective ablation of the slow pathway. However AV Wenckebach rate (294± 35.2 msec before, 315.7 ± 78.9 msec after ablation, p=0.05) and AV nodal refractory period (217.6 ± 37.4 msec before, 259.4 ± 52.4 msec after ablation, p=0.003) increased after slow pathway ablation. Retrograde conduction remained intact in 45 of 47 patients after slow pathway ablation, while there was an increase in the maximum ı: ı ventricuıoatrial conduction rate in two patients. Over a mean follow-up period of ıı.2 ± ı 0.5 months, A VNRT recurred in two patients, who were successfully treated in a second sıow pathway ablation session.
CONCLUSION
These data suggest that, radiofrequency catheter ablation, especialıy slow pathway ablation technique, is safe and highly effective for the treatment of A VNRT.