Skip Navigation

European Heart Journal 1999 20(5):375-385; doi:10.1053/euhj.1998.1310
Copyright © 1999 by the European Society of Cardiology.
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow References
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Paraskevaidis, I.A
Right arrow Articles by Kremastinos, D.T
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Paraskevaidis, I.A
Right arrow Articles by Kremastinos, D.T
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Pulmonary vein flow analysis by transoesophageal echocardiography in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation; 1 year follow-up after cardioversion

I.A Paraskevaidisf1, G.N Theodorakis, D.G Katritsis, D.P Tsiapras, E.G Livanis and D.T Kremastinos

2nd Department of Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece

revised September 7, 1998; accepted September 9, 1998

Abstract

Aims

Left and right upper pulmonary vein flow can be adequately recorded by transoesophageal Doppler echocardiography. The aim of this study was to investigate whether analysis of the pulmonary venous flow velocity pattern can predict the long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful cardioversion of chronic atrial fibrillation.

Methods and Results

Thirty-six consecutive patients, aged 53±9 years, with chronic atrial fibrillation of 5·33±2 months duration, were subjected to transoesophageal Doppler echocardiography to record left and right upper pulmonary venous flow, 24h and 3 months following successful cardioversion. One year following cardioversion, 12 patients (33·3%) were in sinus rhythm (sinus rhythm group) while the remaining 24 patients were in atrial fibrillation (atrial fibrillation group). At 24h following cardioversion, biphasic systolic forward flow in the left and/or right upper pulmonary venous flow velocity was detected in 10 patients of the sinus rhythm group and in four patients of the atrial fibrillation group (P<0·001). The systolic fraction was significantly higher in the sinus rhythm group, 0·48±0·04 and 0·39±0·06,P<0·001 for the left upper pulmonary venous flow, and 0·52±0·05 and 0·41±0·04,P<0·001 for the right upper pulmonary venous flow, respectively. In patients who displayed a biphasic systolic forward flow and in whom the right upper pulmonary venous flow systolic fraction was higher than 0·50 at 24h post-cardioversion, the probability of maintenance of sinus rhythm at 1 year exceeded 95%.

Conclusion

The detection of a biphasic systolic forward flow in the pulmonary venous flow velocity, and of a right upper pulmonary vein systolic fraction higher than 0·50 as early as 24h following cardioversion of chronic atrial fibrillation, identifies patients who will remain in sinus rhythm 1 year after cardioversion.

Key Words: Atrial fibrillation • pulmonary vein flow • trans-oesophageal echocardiography

f1 Correspondence: Ioannis A. Paraskevaidis, MD, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, 356 Sygrou Ave, 17674 Athens, Greece.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 HeartHome page
K Sakabe, N Fukuda, Y Fukuda, S Morishita, H Shinohara, and Y Tamura
Interatrial dyssynchrony on tissue Doppler imaging predicts progression to chronic atrial fibrillation in patients with non-valvular paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
Heart, June 15, 2009; 95(12): 988 - 993.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ChestHome page
I. A. Paraskevaidis, T. Dodouras, D. Tsiapras, and D. T. Kremastinos
Prediction of Successful Cardioversion and Maintenance of Sinus Rhythm in Patients With Lone Atrial Fibrillation
Chest, February 1, 2005; 127(2): 488 - 494.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.