Complex anatomy surrounding the left atrial posterior wall: analysis with 3D computed tomography
- نوع فایل : کتاب
- زبان : انگلیسی
- مؤلف : Shingo Maeda Yoshito Iesaka Kikuya Uno Kiyoshi Otomo Yasutoshi Nagata Kenji Suzuki Hitoshi Hachiya Masahiko Goya Atsushi Takahashi
- چاپ و سال / کشور: 2011
Description
Few studies have explored the topographic anatomy of the esophagus, posterior wall of the left atrium (LA), or fat pads using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to prevent the risk of esophageal injury during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. MDCT was performed in 110 consecutive patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF before the ablation procedure to understand the anatomic relationship of the esophagus. Two major types of esophagus routes were demonstrated. Leftward (type A) and rightward (type B) routes were found in 90 and 10% of the patients, respectively. A type A route had a larger mean size of the LA than type B. The fat pad was identifiable at the level of the inferior pulmonary vein in 91% of the patients without any predominance of either type. The thickness of the fat pad was thinner in the patients with a dilated LA ([42 mm) than in those with a normal LA size (B42 mm) (p = 0.01). The results demonstrated that the majority of cases had a leftward route of the esophagus. There was a close association between the LA dilatation and fat pad thinning. With a dilated LA, the esophagus may become easily susceptible to direct thermal injury during AF ablation. Visualization of the anatomic relationship may contribute to the prevention of the potential risk of an esophageal injury.
Heart Vessels DOI 10.1007/s00380-011-0120-x Received: 7 June 2010 / Accepted: 21 January 2011
