Correlative anatomy for the electrophysiologist: Ablation for atrial fibrillation. Part I: Pulmonary vein ostia, superior vena cava, vein of marshall: Clinical review

Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology

Volumn 21, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 721-730

  MacEdo, Paula G ^a   Kapa, Suraj ^a   Mears, Jennifer A ^a   Fratianni, Amy ^a   Asirvatham, Samuel J ^a,b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA   (United States)

^b Mayo Clinic   (United States)

Author keywords

Ablation; Anatomy; Atrial fibrillation; Autonomics; Pulmonary veins

Indexed keywords

AUTONOMIC GANGLION; AUTONOMIC NERVE; CATHETER ABLATION; COMPUTER ASSISTED TOMOGRAPHY; CORONARY SINUS; ELECTROGRAPHY; FLUOROSCOPY; HEART ATRIUM FIBRILLATION; HEART ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY; HEART MUSCLE; HUMAN; NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING; PATHOGENESIS; PHRENIC NERVE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PULMONARY VEIN; REVIEW; SINUS NODE; SUPERIOR CAVA VEIN; VEIN OF MARSHALL; ATRIAL FIBRILLATION; CORONARY BLOOD VESSEL; ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY; ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY; HEART PACING; PATHOLOGY; PROCEDURES;

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION; CARDIAC PACING, ARTIFICIAL; CATHETER ABLATION; CORONARY VESSELS; ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY; ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY; HUMANS; MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING; MYOCARDIUM; PULMONARY VEINS; TOMOGRAPHY, X-RAY COMPUTED; VENA CAVA, SUPERIOR;

EID: 77952620741     PISSN: 10453873     EISSN: 15408167     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-8167.2010.01728.x     Document Type: Review

References (65)

1. Haissaguerre M, Shah DC, Jais P, Hocini M, Yamane T, Deisenhofer I, Garrigue S, Clementy J : Mapping-guided ablation of pulmonary veins to cure atrial fibrillation. Am J Cardiol 2000 86 : 9K 19K.
2. Pappone C, Rosanio S, Oreto G, Tocchi M, Gugliotta F, Vicedomini G, Salvati A, Dicandia C, Mazzone P, Santinelli V, Gulletta S, Chierchia S : Circumferential radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary vein ostia: A new anatomic approach for curing atrial fibrillation. Circulation 2000 102 : 2619 2628.
3. Asirvatham SJ : Correlative anatomy and electrophysiology for the interventional electrophysiologist: Right atrial flutter. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2009 20 : 113 122.
4. Cabrera JA, Sanchez-Quintana D, Farre J, Rubio JM, Ho SY : The inferior right atrial isthmus: Further architectural insights for current and coming ablation technologies. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2005 16 : 402 408.
5. Cabrera JA, Sanchez-Quintana D, Ho SY, Medina A, Anderson RH : The architecture of the atrial musculature between the orifice of the inferior caval vein and the tricuspid valve: The anatomy of the isthmus. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 1998 9 : 1186 1195.
6. Cabrera JA, Sanchez-Quintana D, Ho SY, Medina A, Wanguemert F, Gross E, Grillo J, Hernandez E, Anderson RH : Angiographic anatomy of the inferior right atrial isthmus in patients with and without history of common atrial flutter. Circulation 1999 99 : 3017 3023.
7. Gami AS, Edwards WD, Lachman N, Friedman PA, Talreja D, Munger TM, Hammill SC, Packer DL, Asirvatham SJ : Electrophysiological anatomy of typical atrial flutter: The posterior boundary and causes for difficulty with ablation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol DOI
8. Poty H, Saoudi N, Abdel Aziz A, Nair M, Letac B : Radiofrequency catheter ablation of type 1 atrial flutter. Prediction of late success by electrophysiological criteria. Circulation 1995 92 : 1389 1392.
9. Cury RC, Abbara S, Schmidt S, Malchano ZJ, Neuzil P, Weichet J, Ferencik M, Hoffmann U, Ruskin JN, Brady TJ, Reddy VY : Relationship of the esophagus and aorta to the left atrium and pulmonary veins: Implications for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm 2005 2 : 1317 1323.
10. Holmes DR, Jr., Monahan KH, Packer D : Pulmonary vein stenosis complicating ablation for atrial fibrillation: Clinical spectrum and interventional considerations. Jacc 2009 2 : 267 276.
11. Robbins IM, Colvin EV, Doyle TP, Kemp WE, Loyd JE, McMahon WS, Kay GN : Pulmonary vein stenosis after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Circulation 1998 98 : 1769 1775.
12. Burch GE, Romney RB : Functional anatomy and throttle valve action on the pulmonary veins. Am Heart J 1954 47 : 58 66.
13. Ho SY, Cabrera JA, Tran VH, Farre J, Anderson RH, Sanchez-Quintana D : Architecture of the pulmonary veins: Relevance to radiofrequency ablation. Heart (Br Card Soc) 2001 86 : 265 270.
14. Nathan H, Eliakim M : The junction between the left atrium and the pulmonary veins. An anatomic study of human hearts. Circulation 1966 34 : 412 422.
15. Ho SY, Cabrera JA, Sanchez-Quintana D : Anatomy of the pulmonary vein-atrium junction. In : Chen SA, Haissaguerre M, Zipes D, eds. Thoracic Vein Arrhythmias: Mechanisms and Treatment.
16. Konin GP, Jain VR, Fisher JD, Haramati LB : The ambiguous pulmonary venoatrial junction: A new perspective. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2008 24 : 433 443.
17. Ahmed J, Sohal S, Malchano ZJ, Holmvang G, Ruskin JN, Reddy VY : Three-dimensional analysis of pulmonary venous ostial and antral anatomy: Implications for balloon catheter-based pulmonary vein isolation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2006 17 : 251 255.
18. Asirvatham S, Johnson SB, Packer D : Collateral pulmonary burns occurring with radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation in the canine atrium. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 1999 22 : 739.
19. Nolker G, Gutleben KJ, Marschang H, Ritscher G, Asbach S, Marrouche N, Brachmann J, Sinha AM : Three-dimensional left atrial and esophagus reconstruction using cardiac C-arm computed tomography with image integration into fluoroscopic views for ablation of atrial fibrillation: Accuracy of a novel modality in comparison with multislice computed tomography. Heart Rhythm 2008 5 : 1651 1657.
20. Kato R, Lickfett L, Meininger G, Dickfeld T, Wu R, Juang G, Angkeow P, LaCorte J, Bluemke D, Berger R, Halperin HR, Calkins H : Pulmonary vein anatomy in patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: Lessons learned by use of magnetic resonance imaging. Circulation 2003 107 : 2004 2010.
21. Niinuma H, George RT, Arbab-Zadeh A, Lima JA, Henrikson CA : Imaging of pulmonary veins during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: The role of multi-slice computed tomography. Europace 2008 10 (Suppl 3 iii14 21.
22. Asirvatham SJ : Methods to identify the pulmonary vein ostium. Heart Rhythm 2005 2 : 1090 1093.
23. Asirvatham SJ, Bruce CJ, Friedman PA : Advances in imaging for cardiac electrophysiology. Coron Artery Dis 2003 14 : 3 13.
24. Asirvatham SJ : Pulmonary vein-related maneuvers: Part I. Heart Rhythm 2007 4 : 538 544.
25. Neill CA : Development of the pulmonary veins; with reference to the embryology of anomalies of pulmonary venous return. Pediatrics 1956 18 : 880 887.
26. Webb S, Kanani M, Anderson RH, Richardson MK, Brown NA : Development of the human pulmonary vein and its incorporation in the morphologically left atrium. Cardiol Young 2001 11 : 632 642.
27. Hassink RJ, Aretz HT, Ruskin J, Keane D : Morphology of atrial myocardium in human pulmonary veins: A postmortem analysis in patients with and without atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol 2003 42 : 1108 1114.
28. Tagawa M, Higuchi K, Chinushi M, Washizuka T, Ushiki T, Ishihara N, Aizawa Y : Myocardium extending from the left atrium onto the pulmonary veins: A comparison between subjects with and without atrial fibrillation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2001 24 : 1459 1463.
29. Ho SY, Sanchez-Quintana D, Cabrera JA, Anderson RH : Anatomy of the left atrium: Implications for radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 1999 10 : 1525 1533.
30. Ho SY, Sanchez-Quintana D : The importance of atrial structure and fibers. Clin Anat (New York, NY) 2009 22 : 52 63.
31. Perez-Lugones A, McMahon JT, Ratliff NB, Saliba WI, Schweikert RA, Marrouche NF, Saad EB, Navia JL, McCarthy PM, Tchou P, Gillinov AM, Natale A : Evidence of specialized conduction cells in human pulmonary veins of patients with atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2003 14 : 803 809.
32. Morel E, Meyronet D, Thivolet-Bejuy F, Chevalier P : Identification and distribution of interstitial Cajal cells in human pulmonary veins. Heart Rhythm 2008 5 : 1063 1067.
33. Nguyen BL, Fishbein MC, Chen LS, Chen PS, Masroor S : Histopathological substrate for chronic atrial fibrillation in humans. Heart Rhythm 2009 6 : 454 460.
34. Li J, Wang L : Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation originating from superior vena cava. Arch Med Res 2006 37 : 415 418.
35. Okamoto K, Ito H, Kuma F, Koike A, Shimoike E, Ueda N, Maruyama T, Kaji Y, Fujino T : Reentrant atrial tachycardia originating from the superior vena cava. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2003 8 : 203 208.
36. Tai CT, Huang JL, Lin YK, Hsieh MH, Lee PC, Ding YA, Chang MS, Chen SA : Noncontact three-dimensional mapping and ablation of upper loop re-entry originating in the right atrium. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002 40 : 746 753.
37. Tsai CF, Tai CT, Hsieh MH, Lin WS, Yu WC, Ueng KC, Ding YA, Chang MS, Chen SA : Initiation of atrial fibrillation by ectopic beats originating from the superior vena cava: Electrophysiological characteristics and results of radiofrequency ablation. Circulation 2000 102 : 67 74.
38. Callans DJ, Ren JF, Schwartzman D, Gottlieb CD, Chaudhry FA, Marchlinski FE : Narrowing of the superior vena cava-right atrium junction during radiofrequency catheter ablation for inappropriate sinus tachycardia: Analysis with intracardiac echocardiography. J Am Coll Cardiol 1999 33 : 1667 1670.
39. Leonelli FM, Pisano E, Requarth JA, Potenza D, Tomassoni G, O'Connor W, Natale A : Frequency of superior vena cava syndrome following radiofrequency modification of the sinus node and its management. Am J Cardiol 2000 85 : 771 774, A779.
40. Nathan H : Anatomical observations on the course of the azygos vein (vena azygos major). Thorax 1960 15 : 229 232.
41. Asirvatham S : Anatomy of the vena cava: An electrophysiological perspective. In : Chen S, Haissaguerre M, Zipes D, eds. Thoracic Vein Arrhythmias: Mechanisms and Treatment.
42. Aslamy Z, Dewald CL, Heffner JE : MRI of central venous anatomy: Implications for central venous catheter insertion. Chest 1998 114 : 820 826.
43. Sanchez-Quintana D, Cabrera JA, Climent V, Farre J, Weiglein A, Ho SY : How close are the phrenic nerves to cardiac structures? Implications for cardiac interventionalists. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2005 16 : 309 313.
44. Mears J, Lachman N, Christensen K, Asirvatham S : The phrenic nerve and atrial fibrillation ablation procedures. J Atrial Fibrillation 2009 7 : 430 477.
45. Asirvatham S, Friedman P, Packer D, Edwards W : Does atrial myocardium extend into the superior vena cava and azygous vein? Circulation 2001 104 : 730.
46. Chauvin M, Shah DC, Haissaguerre M, Marcellin L, Brechenmacher C : The anatomic basis of connections between the coronary sinus musculature and the left atrium in humans. Circulation 2000 101 : 647 652.
47. Volkmer M, Antz M, Hebe J, Kuck KH : Focal atrial tachycardia originating from the musculature of the coronary sinus. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2002 13 : 68 71.
48. Asirvatham S, Johnson SB, Packer D : Contribution of the azygous vein to the occurrence of discontinuities in intercaval linear ablation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 1999 22 : 822.
49. Hickie JB, Gimlette TM, Bacon AP : Anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. Br Heart J 1956 18 : 365 377.
50. Hughes C : Anomalous pulmonary veins. Arch Pathol 1944 37 : 365 369.
51. Wong ML, McCrindle BW, Mota C, Smallhorn JF : Echocardiographic evaluation of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. J Am Coll Cardiol 1995 26 : 503 507.
52. Dib C, Kapa S, Powell BD, Packer DL, Asirvatham SJ : Successful use of "cryo-mapping" to avoid phrenic nerve damage during ostial superior vena caval ablation despite nerve proximity. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2008 22 : 23 30.
53. Asirvatham S, Kapa S : Sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation: The autonomic link. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009 54 : 2084 2086.
54. Ghias M, Scherlag BJ, Lu Z, Niu G, Moers A, Jackman WM, Lazzara R, Po SS : The role of ganglionated plexi in apnea-related atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009 54 : 2075 2083.
55. Niu G, Scherlag BJ, Lu Z, Ghias M, Zhang Y, Patterson E, Dasari TW, Zacharias S, Lazzara R, Jackman WM, Po SS : An acute experimental model demonstrating 2 different forms of sustained atrial tachyarrhythmias. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2009 2 : 384 392.
56. Kamanu S, Tan AY, Peter CT, Hwang C, Chen PS : Vein of Marshall activity during sustained atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2006 17 : 839 846.
57. Scherlag BJ, Yeh BK, Robinson MJ : Inferior interatrial pathway in the dog. Circ Res 1972 31 : 18 35.
58. Asirvatham S : Anatomy of the coronary sinus. In : Yu CM, Hayes DL, Aurrichio A, eds. Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.
59. Doshi RN, Wu TJ, Yashima M, Kim YH, Ong JJ, Cao JM, Hwang C, Yashar P, Fishbein MC, Karagueuzian HS, Chen PS : Relation between ligament of Marshall and adrenergic atrial tachyarrhythmia. Circulation 1999 100 : 876 883.
60. Hwang C, Wu TJ, Doshi RN, Peter CT, Chen PS : Vein of Marshall cannulation for the analysis of electrical activity in patients with focal atrial fibrillation. Circulation 2000 101 : 1503 1505.
61. Kim DT, Lai AC, Hwang C, Fan LT, Karagueuzian HS, Chen PS, Fishbein MC : The ligament of Marshall: A structural analysis in human hearts with implications for atrial arrhythmias. J Am Coll Cardiol 2000 36 : 1324 1327.
62. Tan AY, Chou CC, Zhou S, Nihei M, Hwang C, Peter CT, Fishbein MC, Chen PS : Electrical connections between left superior pulmonary vein, left atrium, and ligament of Marshall: Implications for mechanisms of atrial fibrillation. Am J Physiol 2006 290 : H312 322.
63. Kurotobi T, Ito H, Inoue K, Iwakura K, Kawano S, Okamura A, Date M, Fujii K : Marshall vein as arrhythmogenic source in patients with atrial fibrillation: Correlation between its anatomy and electrophysiological findings. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2006 17 : 1062 1067.
64. Matsuo S, Yamane T, Tokuda M, Kanzaki Y, Inada K, Shibayama K, Miyanaga S, Date T, Miyazaki H, Abe K, Sugimoto K, Yoshimura M : The dormant epicardial reconnection of pulmonary vein: An unusual cause of recurrent atrial fibrillation after pulmonary vein isolation. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2008 31 : 920 924.
65. Asirvatham S, Friedman P, Packer D, Edwards W : Is there an endocardial marker for the vein/ligament of Marshall? Circulation 2001 104 : 568.