Linear lesions have been proposed for treatment of complex atrial arrhythmias including atrial macroreentry tachycardia and compartmentalization in atrial fibrillation.
Aim: To judge the effectiveness of a given lesion design, definite endpoints are necessary to ascertain the completeness of the line of block produced.
Methods and results: We report validation criteria for long linear lesions in the right atrium in 42 pts, that combine both conventional and 3D mapping information (CARTO). Transferring from the validation of bi-directional block of the cavotricuspid isthmus line for atrial flutter, we validated 2 additional long linear lesions in the right atrium (anterior line and intercaval line). In addition to a complete isthmus line in all 42 pts, in 28 pts a complete anterior line was achieved and validated by both conventional and CARTO criteria. A complete intercaval line was deployed in 11 pts with complete anterior and isthmus lines (with a characteristic shift for the intercaval line) and in 5 pts without a complete anterior line (without characteristic shift).
Conclusions: Conventional catheters placed at strategic locations on opposite sides of the intended ablation line, can depict a sudden characteristic change in the activation sequence. Using a combination of both techniques, deployment and validation of long linear lesion can be facilitated.
