A Very Long-term Longitudinal Study on the Evolution and Clinical Outcomes of Persistent Iatrogenic Atrial Septal...

Persistent iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) is a common but poorly characterized complication after cryoballoon (CB) pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures. We therefore investigate its prevalence, evolution, risk factors, and clinical outcomes in a prospective longitudinal study.

A total of 108 patients (41 women, mean age 57 ± 11.3) underwent CB PVI for AF. Serial transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed 9 months and then annually until 6 years after the procedure to study the characteristics of persistent iASD.

Persistent iASD occurred in 33 (30.6%) patients 9 months after CB PVI. Spontaneous closure of iASD was found in 6 (22.2%) and 3 (15.8%) patients 2 and 3 years after the procedures, respectively. No spontaneous closure was observed on 4, 5, and 6-year TEE follow-up. The projected long-term persistence rate of iASD after CB PVI was therefore 20% (30.6% × 0.778 × 0.842). Using multivariate logistic regression, a higher number of cryoapplications (≥ 2 minutes) was the only independent predictor of persistent iASD 9 months after CB PVI (odds ratio [OR] 1.207; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.033-1.411, P = 0.018). Two (1.9%) patients with significantly larger iASD size than the others (long diameter 12.6 ± 0.8 vs 3.7 ± 1.5 mm, P < 0.001; short diameter 10.9 ± 0.2 vs 3 ± 1.1 mm, P < 0.001) required percutaneous closure because of exertional dyspnea and right ventricular enlargement. Over 129.7 patient-years follow-up, during which iASD persisted, there was no occurrence of neurologic events.

Approximately one fifth of patients undergoing CB PVI will have permanently persistent iASD. Patients with defect sizes of greater than 10 mm may need percutaneous closure due to significant left-to-right shunting.