[Is pulmonary isolation effective for all types of atrial fibrillation?]

Various surgical ablation devices have been developed to simplify the maze procedure. The pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using ablation devices has become feasible without making any atrial incision. Focal activation arising from the pulmonary veins is one of the mechanisms in atrial fibrillation (Af). The PVI is effective for the Af with this mechanism. However, the PVI is not necessarily effective for the Af with the other mechanisms such as reentry in the right or left atrium. Therefore, it is very important to select optimal surgical procedure for each mechanism of Af.