Aims In right ventricular cardiomyopathy (RVCM), intramural scar may prevent rapid transmural activation, which may facilitate subepicardial ventricular tachycardia (VT) circuits. A critical... Show moreAims In right ventricular cardiomyopathy (RVCM), intramural scar may prevent rapid transmural activation, which may facilitate subepicardial ventricular tachycardia (VT) circuits. A critical transmural activation delay determined during sinus rhythm (SR) may identify VT substrates in RVCM. Methods and results Consecutive patients with RVCM who underwent detailed endocardial-epicardial mapping and ablation for scar-related VT were enrolled. The transmural activation interval (TAI, first endocardial to first epicardial activation) and maximal activation interval (MAI, first endocardial to last epicardial activation) were determined in endocardial-epicardial point pairs located <10 mm apart. VT-related sites were determined by conventional substrate mapping and limited activation mapping when possible. Nineteen patients (46 +/- 16 years, 84% male, 63% arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, 37% exercise-induced arrhythmogenic remodelling) were inducible for 44 VT [CL 283 (interquartile range, IQR 240-325)ms]. A total of 2569 endocardial-epicardial coupled point pairs were analysed, including 98 (4%) epicardial VT-related sites. The TAI and MAI were significantly longer at VT-related sites compared with other electroanatomical scar sites [TAI median 31 (IQR 11-50) vs. 2 (-7-11)ms, P < 0.001; MAI median 65 (IQR 45-87) vs. 23 (13-39)ms, P < 0.001]. TAI and MAI allowed highly accurate identification of epicardial VT-related sites (optimal cut-off TAI 17 ms and MAI 45 ms, both AUC 0.81). Both TAI and MAI had a better predictive accuracy for VT-related sites than endocardial and epicardial voltage and electrogram (EGM) duration (AUC 0.51-0.73). Conclusion The transmural activation delay in SR can be used to identify VT substrates in patients with RVCM and predominantly hemodynamically non-tolerated VT, and may be an important new mapping tool for substrate-based ablation. Show less
Abdel-Kafi, S.; Ridder, M. de; Riva, M. de; Geest, R.J. van der; Rasch, C.; Zeppenfeld, K. 2020
OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine new reference cutoffs for normal unipolar voltage (UV) and bipolar voltage (BV) that would be adjusted for the LV remodeling.BACKGROUND The definition of ... Show moreOBJECTIVES This study sought to determine new reference cutoffs for normal unipolar voltage (UV) and bipolar voltage (BV) that would be adjusted for the LV remodeling.BACKGROUND The definition of "normal" left ventricular (LV) endocardial voltage in patients with post-infarct scar is still lacking. The reference voltage of the noninfarcted myocardium (NIM) may differ between patients depending on LV structural remodeling and the ensuing interstitial fibrosis.METHODS Electroanatomic voltage mapping was integrated with isotropic late gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance in 15 patients with nonremodeted LV and 12 patients with remodeled LV (end-systolic volume index >50 ml/m(2) with ejection fraction <47% assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance). Reference voltages (fifth percentile values) were determined from pooled NIM segments without late gadolinium enhancement.RESULTS The cutoffs for normal BV and UV were >= 3.0 and >= 6.7 mV for nonremodeled LV and >= 2.1 and >= 6.4 mV for remodeled LV. Endocardial low-voltage area (LVA) defined by the adjusted cutoffs corresponded better to late gadolinium enhancement-detected scar than did LVA defined by uniform cutoffs. In 15 patients who underwent successful ablation of ventricular tachycardia, the LVA contained >97% of targeted evoked delayed potentials. Insights from whole-heart T1 mapping revealed more fibrotic NIM in patients with remodeled LV compared with nonremodeled LV.CONCLUSIONS This study found substantial differences in endocardial voltage of NIM in post-infarct patients with remodeled versus nonremodeled LV. The new adjusted cutoffs for "normal" BV and UV enable a patient-tailored approach to etectroanatomic voltage mapping of LV. (C) 2019 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Show less
Venlet, J.; Piers, S.R.D.; Kapel, G.F.L.; Riva, M. de; Pauli, P.F.G.; Geest, R.J. van der; Zeppenfeld, K. 2017
