Radiofrequency catheter ablation for AV nodal reentrant tachycardias (AVNRT)

Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation is the curative treatment of choice for atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). Analogous to the development of surgical techniques, catheter ablation has evolved from AV nodal ablation to selective "fast" and "slow" pathway ablation. "Slow" ablation is now the method of choice because of the lower incidence of associated AV block. Though slow pathway ablation can be achieved with equal success using either the anatomic or the electrogram-guided approach, fewer applications of RF energy are required for the potential-guided technique.