Repeated Endocardial Mapping for Efficacy Assessment After Catheter Ablation for Ischemic Ventricular Tachycardia

Patients with ischemic ventricular tachycardia (VT) are frequently treated with radiofrequency catheter ablation. The efficacy of catheter ablation is limited for various reasons; one of those being incomplete myocardial and inhomogenous scar tissue damage due to suboptimal ablation lesions.The aim of our study is to reassess initially ablated endocardial areas in a repeated mapping procedure. Initial lesion parameters will be studied in areas with conduction recovery at repeated mapping procedure. Also, VT inducibility will be correlated to the extent and characteristics of areas with recovered conduction.

Inclusion Criteria:ischemic heart disease,sustained ventricular tachycardia,implanted (or scheduled for implantation) cardiac electrical device with ability to record and store intracardiac electrogramsExclusion Criteria:nonischemic cardiomyopathy,need for epicardial access to the substrate for treatment of ventricular tachycardia,any severe acute organ damage beyond cardiomyopathy that could potentialy omit remapping procedure after 3 months,any terminal disease with expected survival of less than one year