Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37960936›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

Left atrial total emptying fraction measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging predicts low-voltage areas detected during electroanatomical mapping.

Susanne Löbe, Pierre Stellmach, Angeliki Darma, Sebastian Hilbert, Ingo Paetsch, Cosima Jahnke, Andreas Bollmann, Gerhard Hindricks, Simon Kircher

Open access · hybridAbstract readComment
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 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 15% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 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. Impact of renal function on the efficacy of low-voltage area ablation after pulmonary vein isolation: a sub-analysis of the SUPPRESS-AF trial.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
  3. Atrial Cardiomyopathy: From Diagnosis to Treatment.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2025
    Review
  4. Atrial fibrillation substrate and impaired left atrial function: a cardiac MRI study.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
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Susanne LöbeDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4013-2799
Pierre StellmachDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.
Angeliki DarmaDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4756-2775
Sebastian HilbertDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6099-4225
Ingo PaetschDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3528-7174
Cosima JahnkeDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.
Andreas BollmannDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5441-3906
Gerhard HindricksDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0132-0773
Simon KircherDepartment of Electrophysiology, HELIOS Heart Center Leipzig-University of Leipzig, Struempellstr. 39, Leipzig 04289, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4493-3964
Leipzig Heart Institute · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsLow-voltage areas (LVAs) found during left atrial (LA) electroanatomical mapping are increasingly targeted by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on top of pulmonary vein isolation to improve arrhythmia-free survival in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, pre-procedural prediction of LVAs remains challenging. The purpose of the present study was to describe the association between parameters of LA function and dimensions, respectively, derived from pre-procedural cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, and the presence of LVAs on LA voltage mapping. METHODS AND

resultsPatients who underwent first-time RFCA for paroxysmal or persistent AF and who were in stable sinus rhythm during pre-procedural CMR imaging were included in this study. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance-derived parameters of LA function and dimensions were calculated. Low-voltage areas were defined as areas with bipolar voltage amplitudes of ≤0.5 mV on electroanatomical mapping. In total, 259 consecutive patients were included in this analysis. Low-voltage areas were found in 25 of 259 patients (9.7%). Compared with those without LVAs, patients with LVAs were significantly older, were more likely to be female, had a higher CHA2DS2-VASc score, had larger LA volumes, and had a lower LA total emptying fraction (TEF). In multivariate analysis, only LA TEF [odds ratio (OR) 0.885, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.846-0.926, P < 0.001] and the CHA2DS2-VASc score (OR 1.507, 95% CI 1.115-2.038, P = 0.008) remained independently associated with the presence of LVAs.

conclusionLeft atrial TEF and the CHA2DS2-VASc score were independently associated with the presence of LVAs found during LA electroanatomical mapping. These findings may help to improve pre-procedural prediction of pro-arrhythmogenic LVAs and to improve peri-procedural patient management.

Indexed as

Atrial AppendageAtrial FibrillationCatheter AblationPulmonary VeinsFemaleHeart AtriaHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleAtrial fibrillationCardiovascular magnetic resonance imagingCatheter ablationFibrosisLeft atrial total emptying functionLow-voltage areas

Identifiers

PMID37960936
PMCPMC10643989
OpenAlexW4388669517

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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.