Seil Oh

BACKGROUND: Autonomic denervation may suppress atrial fibrillation (AF) vulnerability. This study was designed to assess the short- to mid-term effects of botulinum toxin, a cholinergic neurotransmission blocker, on AF inducibility. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 23 mongrel dogs were studied. The sinus node and atrioventricular node epicardial fat pads were exposed through a right lateral thoracotomy. Botulinum toxin (Botox, 50 U per fat pad) or 0.9% normal saline (control) was injected into th

Although impaired endothelial function is well known in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), the precise mechanism and the factors that contribute to this dysfunction remain to be clarified. The authors examined the effect of acute hyperglycemia on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in patients with DM or impaired glucose metabolism in vivo by plethysmography. In eight patients with diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose metabolism, the vasodilatory response to acetylcholine at infusion rates of

AIMS: Additional linear ablation lesions are created to improve the outcomes of pulmonary vein (PV) isolation during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. We aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of additional ablation sites in terms of anatomical characteristics. METHODS AND RESULTS: Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) data from 140 consecutive patients (40 with AF, 84 males, 59 ± 11 years old) and additional 10 heart specimens were analysed for their anatomical characteristics at thr

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency (RF) energy parameters and chronic lesion characteristics associated with the microbubbles formation have not been yet fully elucidated. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the energy profiles and chronic lesion characteristics associated with RF ablation of the pulmonary vein antrum using three different ablation protocols: (1) avoiding microbubbles; (2) continuous microbubble formation; (3) temperature-guided ablation. METHODS: A 4-mm tip ablation

INTRODUCTION: The left atrium (LA), including the pulmonary vein antrum, is the main target of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there is a lack of data on the effect of extensive LA ablation on LA stiffness. This study sought to investigate the impact of extensive LA ablation on LA stiffness and dyspnea after the restoration of sinus rhythm. METHODS: In total, 97 patients with AF (80 patients who only underwent pulmonary vein isolation [PVI] and 17 patients who underwent

INTRODUCTION: Fasciculoventricular (FV) pathways are rare variants of preexcitation, and their ECGs may be misinterpreted as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with anteroseptal accessory pathways (WPW-AS). We analyzed the electrocardiographic characteristics of the patients with FV pathways to find out the different findings from WPW-AS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Five patients with FV pathways and four patients with WPW-AS who underwent electrophysiologic studies were evaluated. Intervals and amplitudes