Abstract
Aims: Histological studies support the important role of inflammation in the initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). We describe a novel and safe technique of atrial biopsy during AF radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) to investigate the role of atrial tissue inflammation. Methods and results: We enrolled 70 consecutive patients (age 60 ± 12 years, 49 males) undergoing RFCA for AF. The control group was represented by 10 patients with WolffParkinsonWhite syndrome undergoing trans-septal puncture. Atrial biopsies were obtained by washing the dilator and needle used for trans-septal puncture with 20 mL sterile phosphate-buffered saline. The presence of intracytoplasmic C-reactive protein was assessed in formalin-fixed atrial specimens by immunohistochemistry. A sufficient amount of atrial tissue was obtained in 23/70 (32) patients with AF and in 4/10 (40) of the control group. Intracytoplasmic localization of C-reactive protein was found in isolated atrial cardiomyocytes in 11 (73) of 15 patients with paroxysmal AF as compared with 2 (25) of eight patients with persistent AF (P 0.02). Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrate the safety and feasibility of a novel technique to obtain atrial specimens during routine trans-septal puncture. Local inflammation assessed by atrial tissue localization of C-reactive protein is more likely involved in paroxysmal rather than in persistent AF
Lingua originale | English |
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pagine (da-a) | 1133-1140 |
Numero di pagine | 8 |
Rivista | Europace |
Volume | 2011 |
DOI | |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2011 |
Keywords
- Atrial endomyocardial biopsy
- Atrial fibrillation