Echocardiographic Mitral Annular Calcification is Associated With Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter

Yan Yao1, Zhihui Zhang2, Jia Xue1

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Insights

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after ablation. Echocardiographic MAC is an independent predictor of AF recurrence, even beyond established risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is linked to atrial fibrillation (AF) and adverse cardiovascular events.
  • The impact of MAC on AF ablation outcomes is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between MAC and AF recurrence following successful ablation.
  • To determine if MAC independently predicts AF recurrence post-ablation.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 785 patients undergoing successful AF ablation was analyzed.
  • Echocardiography was used to assess MAC.
  • Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier analysis evaluated AF recurrence over a 16-month follow-up.

Main Results:

  • AF recurrence occurred in 24.2% of patients.
  • MAC was present in 22% of patients with recurrence versus 10% without (p <0.001).
  • MAC was significantly associated with increased AF recurrence (HR 1.48, p=0.001) after multivariate adjustment.

Conclusions:

  • Echocardiographic MAC is a significant predictor of AF recurrence after ablation.
  • MAC provides independent predictive value for AF recurrence beyond known risk factors.

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