[Catheter ablation of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias]

The term "supraventricular tachyarrhythmia" summarizes electrophysiologically different arrhythmias. After detection of the mechanism of the present arrhythmia, the weak part of the reentrant circuit has to be identified using different mapping techniques. The catheter ablation is widely used as focal ablation (sinus tachycardia, ectopic atrial tachycardia, focal atrial fibrillation) or for interruption of conducting pathways (accessory pathways, AV nodal reentrant tachycardia). A single ablation line should be created in isthmus-dependent atrial flutter or in incisional tachycardias, which is less used now-a-days. Multiple ablation lines are needed for ablation of atrial fibrillation, which is a method investigated in arrhythmia centers only. Some arrhythmias are less well understood, not localizable and therefore not curatively treated with ablation techniques. Newer three-dimensional mapping methods may help in this situation. The challenge at the present time is the catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.