Studies of RFA for treatment of atrial fibrillation report higher efficacy rates than do studies of AAD therapy and a lower rate of complications
BACKGROUND Although radiofrequency catheter ablation ( RFA ) has evolved from an experimental procedure to an important treatment option for atrial fibrillation , the relative safety and efficacy of catheter ablation relative to that of antiarrhythmic drug ( AAD ) therapy has not been established .
Electrocardiographic Features of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia
Background — The purpose of this study was to reevaluate the ECG features of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia ( ARVD ) . The second objective was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the st and ard and newly proposed diagnostic ECG markers in the presence of a right bundle-branch block ( RBBB ) . Methods and Results — One hundred patients with ARVD ( 57 men ; aged 39±15 years ) and 57 controls ( 21 men ; aged 40±17 years ) were included . Among the 100 patients with ARVD , a complete RBBB was present in 17 patients , and 15 patients had an incomplete RBBB . T-wave inversion through V3 demonstrated optimal sensitivity and specificity in both ARVD patients without a complete RBBB or incomplete RBBB ( 71 % [ 95 % confidence interval , 58 % to 81 % ] and 96 % [ 95 % confidence interval , 81 % to 100 % ] , respectively ) and in ARVD patients with incomplete RBBB ( 73 % [ 95 % confidence interval , 45 % to 92 % ] and 95 % [ 95 % confidence interval , 77 % to 100 % ] , respectively ) . Between ARVD patients and controls with a complete RBBB , the only 2 parameters that differed were the prevalence of T-wave inversion through V4 ( 59 % versus 12 % , respectively ; P<0.05 ) and an r′/s ratio in V1 < 1 ( 88 % versus 14 % , respectively ; P<0.005 ) . In ARVD patients with complete RBBB , the most sensitive and specific parameter was an r′/s ratio < 1 . Conclusions — We evaluated comprehensively the diagnostic value of ECG markers for ARVD . On the basis of the findings , we propose an algorithm , with examination of QRS morphology being the first step , for ECG evaluation of ARVD patients . Definite criteria are then applied on the basis of the presence of no RBBB , incomplete RBBB , and complete RBBB to obtain the best diagnostic utility of the ECG
Studies of RFA for treatment of atrial fibrillation report higher efficacy rates than do studies of AAD therapy and a lower rate of complications
BACKGROUND Although radiofrequency catheter ablation ( RFA ) has evolved from an experimental procedure to an important treatment option for atrial fibrillation , the relative safety and efficacy of catheter ablation relative to that of antiarrhythmic drug ( AAD ) therapy has not been established .