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August 22, 2026Cardiology DiscoveryOpen Access

AI-guided spatiotemporal dispersion area ablation plus PVI cuts AF recurrence by ~67% versus PVI alone.

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Why the study?

PVI alone shows limited long-term success in persistent AF, and additional ablation targeting spatiotemporal dispersion areas yields variable outcomes, but AI integration could standardize these procedures.

Does AI-guided SDA ablation combined with PVI improve 12-month freedom from AF in patients with persistent AF?

Population

322 patients with persistent AF across 3 studies

Comparison

PVI combined with AI-guided SDA ablation vs PVI alone or unstated

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis of 3 studies

Follow-up

12 months

Key result

AI-guided spatiotemporal dispersion area ablation combined with PVI achieved an 87% freedom-from-AF rate, and demonstrated superiority to PVI alone in one RCT (89% vs. 67%, P=0.001).

Authors

WRWilson M. RaffaelloRPRaymond PranataMIMohammad Iqbal

Discussion

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Overview

AI-guided SDA ablation plus PVI improves 1-year AF elimination versus PVI alone; extends individualized ablation strategies in persistent AF.

Key Points

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of artificial intelligence-guided spatiotemporal dispersion area ablation combined with pulmonary vein isolation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.
  • Conducted a systematic search across PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Europe PMC up to January 13, 2025, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
  • Identified and pooled 3 eligible studies (2 observational with low risk of bias, 1 randomized controlled trial; total N = 322) assessing PVI combined with AI-guided SDA ablation.
  • Estimated the 12-month freedom-from-AF rate after a 3-month blanking period using random-effects meta-analysis of proportions with Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation.
  • The pooled 12-month freedom-from-AF rate for patients undergoing PVI plus AI-guided SDA ablation was 87% (95% CI: 82%–91%).
  • In the included randomized controlled trial, AI-guided SDA ablation achieved significantly higher freedom from AF compared with PVI alone (89% vs. 67%, P = 0.001).

Study Design

Type

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (n=322)

Structured PICO

Does AI-guided SDA ablation combined with PVI improve 12-month freedom from AF in patients with persistent AF?

P
Population
322 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation across 3 studies evaluating PVI combined with AI-guided SDA ablation.
I
Intervention
Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) combined with artificial intelligence (AI)-guided spatiotemporal dispersion area (SDA) ablation
C
Comparator
PVI alone (in the included RCT)
O
Outcome
12-month freedom from AF after a 3-month blanking period

AI-guided SDA ablation combined with PVI may improve 12-month freedom from AF in patients with persistent AF, though evidence is currently limited to a small number of studies.

Limitations

  • Small number of included studies
  • Current evidence base remains limited and requires confirmation in larger studies
  • Current evidence base remains limited

Cite This Study

Raffaello et al. (2026) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in persistent atrial fibrillation (n=322). AI-guided SDA ablation combined with PVI vs. PVI alone was evaluated on 12-month freedom from AF after a 3-month blanking period (95% CI 82-91). AI-guided spatiotemporal dispersion area ablation combined with PVI achieved an 87% freedom-from-AF rate, and demonstrated superiority to PVI alone in one RCT (89% vs. 67%, P=0.001).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a895eaeca7ade938187cc28https://doi.org/10.1097/cd9.0000000000000203
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