Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37713626›Full record

ArticleEuropace : 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

Differences in atrial substrate localization using late gadolinium enhancement-magnetic resonance imaging, electrogram voltage, and conduction velocity: a cohort study using a consistent anatomical reference frame in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Deborah Nairn, Martin Eichenlaub, Björn Müller-Edenborn, Taiyuan Huang, Heiko Lehrmann, Claudia Nagel, Luca Azzolin, Giorgio Luongo, Rosa M Figueras Ventura, Barbara Rubio Forcada and 6 more

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In one paragraph

Article 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 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing 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

21 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
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  12. Computational modelling of biological systems now and then: revisiting tools and visions from the beginning of the century.Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences · 2025
    Review
  13. Identifying extra pulmonary vein targets for persistent atrial fibrillation ablation: bridging advanced and conventional mapping techniques.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
    Article
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  17. The effect of fixed and functional remodelling on conduction velocity, wavefront propagation, and rotational activity formation in atrial fibrillation.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 · 2024
    Article
  18. The effect of fixed and functional remodelling on conduction velocity, wavefront propagation, and rotational activity formation in atrial fibrillation.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 · 2024
    Article
  19. Autonomic modulation impacts conduction velocity dynamics and wavefront propagation in the left atrium.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 · 2024
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Deborah NairnInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8279-7209
Martin EichenlaubDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3674-790X
Björn Müller-EdenbornDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8436-3591
Taiyuan HuangDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6636-1093
Heiko LehrmannDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2377-1417
Claudia NagelInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4193-7257
Luca AzzolinInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2919-4617
Giorgio LuongoInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1531-4814
Rosa M Figueras VenturaAdas 3D Medical SL, Carrer Paris 179, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-5980-2508
Barbara Rubio ForcadaAdas 3D Medical SL, Carrer Paris 179, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0009-0002-0345-2750
Anna Vallès ColomerAdas 3D Medical SL, Carrer Paris 179, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-3152-7150
Dirk WestermannDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7542-1956
Thomas ArentzDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0009-0007-8115-0703
Olaf DösselInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4551-7970
Axel LoeweInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2487-4744
Amir JadidiDepartment of Cardiology and Angiology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6402-2845
University of Freiburg · DEKarlsruhe Institute of Technology · DE

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DO637/22-3MedtronicMinisterium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-WürttembergResearch Seed Capital
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsElectro-anatomical voltage, conduction velocity (CV) mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been correlated with atrial cardiomyopathy (ACM). However, the comparability between these modalities remains unclear. This study aims to (i) compare pathological substrate extent and location between current modalities, (ii) establish spatial histograms in a cohort, (iii) develop a new estimated optimized image intensity threshold (EOIIT) for LGE-MRI identifying patients with ACM, (iv) predict rhythm outcome after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND

resultsThirty-six ablation-naive persistent AF patients underwent LGE-MRI and high-definition electro-anatomical mapping in sinus rhythm. Late gadolinium enhancement areas were classified using the UTAH, image intensity ratio (IIR >1.20), and new EOIIT method for comparison to low-voltage substrate (LVS) and slow conduction areas <0.2 m/s. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine LGE thresholds optimally matching LVS. Atrial cardiomyopathy was defined as LVS extent ≥5% of the left atrium (LA) surface at <0.5 mV. The degree and distribution of detected pathological substrate (percentage of individual LA surface are) varied significantly (P < 0.001) across the mapping modalities: 10% (interquartile range 0-14%) of the LA displayed LVS <0.5 mV vs. 7% (0-12%) slow conduction areas <0.2 m/s vs. 15% (8-23%) LGE with the UTAH method vs. 13% (2-23%) using IIR >1.20, with most discrepancies on the posterior LA. Optimized image intensity thresholds and each patient's mean blood pool intensity correlated linearly (R2 = 0.89, P < 0.001). Concordance between LGE-MRI-based and LVS-based ACM diagnosis improved with the novel EOIIT applied at the anterior LA [83% sensitivity, 79% specificity, area under the curve (AUC): 0.89] in comparison to the UTAH method (67% sensitivity, 75% specificity, AUC: 0.81) and IIR >1.20 (75% sensitivity, 62% specificity, AUC: 0.67).

conclusionDiscordances in detected pathological substrate exist between LVS, CV, and LGE-MRI in the LA, irrespective of the LGE detection method. The new EOIIT method improves concordance of LGE-MRI-based ACM diagnosis with LVS in ablation-naive AF patients but discrepancy remains particularly on the posterior wall. All methods may enable the prediction of rhythm outcomes after PVI in patients with persistent AF.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationCardiomyopathiesCatheter AblationCohort StudiesContrast MediaGadoliniumHeart AtriaHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingContrast MediaGadoliniumAtrial cardiomyopathyAtrial fibrillationConduction velocityElectro-anatomical mappingLGE-MRI

Identifiers

PMID37713626
PMCPMC10533207
OpenAlexW4386764219

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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.