Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37428891›Full record

Trial reportEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2023

Effect of fibrosis regionality on atrial fibrillation recurrence: insights from DECAAF II.

Ala Assaf, Mario Mekhael, Charbel Noujaim, Nour Chouman, Hadi Younes, Han Feng, Abdelhadi ElHajjar, Botao Shan, Peter Kistler, Omar Kreidieh and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.8field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Prevalence and multiple predictors of left atrial low voltage in paroxysmal and non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients undergoing ablation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Regionalization of the atria for 3D electroanatomical mapping, cardiac imaging, and computational modelling: a clinical consensus statement of the European Heart Rhythm Association and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging of the ESC.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Guideline
  3. Persistent atrial fibrillation with left atrial low-voltage area: who benefit from additional modification?Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2025
    Trial
  4. Effect of fibrosis regionality on atrial fibrillation recurrence: insights from DECAAF II.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2023
    Trial
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Ala AssafTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6443-798X
Mario MekhaelTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8809-5419
Charbel NoujaimTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3179-4398
Nour ChoumanTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6624-1590
Hadi YounesTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7202-1164
Han FengTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3163-8931
Abdelhadi ElHajjarDepartment of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4820-8102
Botao ShanTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2219-0709
Peter KistlerClinical Electrophysiology Research Laboratory, Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5369-5844
Omar KreidiehTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6189-2821
Nassir MarroucheTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0454-0541
Eoin DonnellanTulane Research Innovation for Arrhythmia Discovery (TRIAD), Tulane University School of Medicine, 1324 Tulane Avenue, Suite A128, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2878-9061
Tulane University · USBaker Heart and Diabetes Institute · AUCleveland Clinic · US

Funding

AbbottBiosense WebsterBoston ScientificGEMedtronicSiemens
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsThe amount of fibrosis in the left atrium (LA) predicts atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation (CA). We aim to identify whether regional variations in LA fibrosis affect AF recurrence. METHODS AND

resultsThis post hoc analysis of the DECAAF II trial includes 734 patients with persistent AF undergoing first-time CA who underwent late gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (LGE-MRI) within 1 month prior to ablation and were randomized to MRI-guided fibrosis ablation in addition to standard pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) or standard PVI only. The LA wall was divided into seven regions: anterior, posterior, septal, lateral, right pulmonary vein (PV) antrum, left PV antrum, and left atrial appendage (LAA) ostium. Regional fibrosis percentage was defined as a region's fibrosis prior to ablation divided by total LA fibrosis. Regional surface area percentage was defined as an area's surface area divided by the total LA wall surface area before ablation. Patients were followed up for a year with single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) devices. The left PV had the highest regional fibrosis percentage (29.30 ± 14.04%), followed by the lateral wall (23.23 ± 13.56%), and the posterior wall (19.80 ± 10.85%). The regional fibrosis percentage of the LAA was a significant predictor of AF recurrence post-ablation (odds ratio = 1.017, P = 0.021), and this finding was only preserved in patients receiving MRI-guided fibrosis ablation. Regional surface area percentages did not significantly affect the primary outcome.

conclusionWe have confirmed that atrial cardiomyopathy and remodelling are not a homogenous process, with variations in different regions of the LA. Atrial fibrosis does not uniformly affect the LA, and the left PV antral region has more fibrosis than the rest of the wall. Furthermore, we identified regional fibrosis of the LAA as a significant predictor of AF recurrence post-ablation in patients receiving MRI-guided fibrosis ablation in addition to standard PVI.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationCatheter AblationPulmonary VeinsContrast MediaFibrosisGadoliniumHeart AtriaHumansRecurrenceTreatment OutcomeContrast MediaGadoliniumAtrial fibrillationFibrosisLeft atrial wallRegionalScar

Identifiers

PMID37428891
PMCPMC10519620
OpenAlexW4383742292

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.