Mid-Term Results of Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation in Valvular Heart Disease Assesed by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation frequently affects patients with valvular heart disease. Ablation of atrial fibrillation during valvular surgery is an alternative for restoring sinus rhythm. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate mid-term results of successful atrial fibrillation surgical ablation during valvular heart disease surgery, to explore left atrium post-ablation mechanics and to identify predictors of recurrence. METHODS: Fifty-three consecutive candidates were included. Eligibility criteria for ablation included persistent atrial fibrillation <10 years and left atrium diameter < 6.0 cm. Three months after surgery, echocardiogram, 24-hour Holter monitoring and electrocardiograms were performed in all candidates who maintained sinus rhythm (44 patients). Echo-study included left atrial deformation parameters (strain and strain rate), using 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. Simultaneously, 30 healthy individuals (controls) were analyzed with the same protocol for left atrial performance. Significance was considered with a P value of < 0.05. RESULTS: After a mean follow up of 17 ± 2 months, 13 new post-operative cases of recurrent atrial fibrillation were identified. A total of 1,245 left atrial segments were analysed. Left atrium was severely dilated in the post-surgery group and, mechanical properties of left atrium did not recover after surgery when compared with normal values. Left atrial volume (≥ 64 mL/m(2)) was the only independent predictor of atrial fibrillation recurrence (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Left atrial volume was larger in patients with atrial fibrillation recurrence and emerges as the main predictor of recurrences, thereby improving the selection of candidates for this therapy; however, no differences were found regarding myocardial deformation parameters. Despite electrical maintenance of sinus rhythm, left atrium mechanics did not recover after atrial fibrillation ablation performed during valvular heart disease surgery.