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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiovascular Imaging
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1461744
This article is part of the Research Topic Pre-Interventional Cardiac Imaging View all 9 articles

Anatomical characteristics of mitral isthmus and its spatial relationship with the esophagus in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation using CT angiography

Provisionally accepted
Yilin Pan Yilin Pan 1Hong Zeng Hong Zeng 2*Xin Liu Xin Liu 2*Xiaohang Fu Xiaohang Fu 2*Liyuan Pan Liyuan Pan 2*Yanjing Wang Yanjing Wang 2*
  • 1 Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, China
  • 2 China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun,Jilin,China, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study examines the anatomical characteristics of the mitral isthmus (MI) and its spatial relationship with the esophagus in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation, using cardiovascular computed tomographic angiography (CTA). Understanding this relationship is crucial to minimize the risk of esophageal injuries during ablation procedures. Methods: The investigation included 300 participants, divided into 200 subjects in the experimental group undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation and 100 in the control group. Detailed CTA scans were used to assess the MI's structure and proximity to the esophagus, employing various measurements like the MI's endocardial length, depth, and its relation to adjacent esophageal anatomy.The study revealed significant differences in the MI's length and distance measurements between the experimental and control groups, with the former showing greater dimensions, potentially influencing ablation strategies. A substantial proportion of patients exhibited close proximity or direct contact between the MI and the esophagus, emphasizing the importance of pre-procedural imaging in identifying risks for esophageal damage. Conclusions: Pre-procedural cardiovascular CTA provides essential insights into the MI's anatomical details and its relation to the esophagus, aiding in the customization of ablation strategies to enhance procedural safety and efficacy. The findings highlight the significance of tailored imaging assessments to mitigate esophageal injury risks in atrial fibrillation ablation.

    Keywords: atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, mitral isthmus (MI) ablation, Esophageal injury, CT angiography (CTA)

    Received: 09 Jul 2024; Accepted: 24 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Pan, Zeng, Liu, Fu, Pan and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hong Zeng, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun,Jilin,China, China
    Xin Liu, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun,Jilin,China, China
    Xiaohang Fu, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun,Jilin,China, China
    Liyuan Pan, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun,Jilin,China, China
    Yanjing Wang, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun,Jilin,China, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.