Drugs vs. ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation

the evidence supporting catheter ablation

Nault, Isabelle
Miyazaki, Shinsuke
Forclaz, Andrei
Wright, Matthew
Jadidi, Amir
Jaïs, Pierre
Hocini, Mélèze
Haïssaguerre, Michel

Hôpital Cardiologique Haut-Lévêque, Avenue de Magellan, 33 604, Bordeaux-Pessac cedex, Université Victor Segalen, France

Corresponding author. Tel: +33 5 57 65 64 71, Fax: +33 5 57 65 65 09, Email: [email protected]

Received July 20, 2009

Accepted February 25, 2010

European Heart Journal 31(9):p 1046-1054, May 2010. | DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehq079

Treatment strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF) is a controversial matter. Catheter ablation is increasingly being used to treat patients with AF, and recent studies have reported success rates >80% for paroxysmal AF and >70% for persistent AF. The purpose of this work is to review the evidence supporting catheter ablation and compare it with pharmacological treatment in the management of AF.