Association between myocardial wall thickness and left ventricular functional recovery after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with reduced ejection fraction

Background Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AFCA) is an effective treatment to develop left ventricular (LV) functional recovery. However, the degree of recovery differs between individuals due to the different extent of myocardial fibrosis and scarring. Purpose To examine whether pre-ablation LV wall thickness (WT) and its regional heterogeneity predict LV functional recovery after AFCA in patients with LV systolic dysfunction. Methods Of 3682 consecutive patients who underwent first-time AFCA between January 2012 and September 2020 in our institution, 174 (age, 63±10 years; male, 83%; ischemic cardiomyopathy, 14%) with a baseline LV ejection fraction (LVEF) of Results LVEF significantly improved from 30±7% to 57±17% (p7.4mm, SD of end-systolic WT Conclusion Myocardial WT and its regional heterogeneity as well as LV end-diastolic volume predicted functional recovery after AFCA in patients with reduced LVEF. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.