Key result
Retrograde RF ablation is linked to an aortic valve mass resolving after 2 days of heparin.
Why the study?
Routine echocardiography after retrograde radiofrequency catheter ablation across the aortic valve may detect aortic valve masses, a potentially serious complication requiring early diagnosis and treatment.
Case Report (n=1)
Retrograde radiofrequency catheter ablation across the aortic valve can cause a potentially devastating aortic valve mass that may resolve with heparin therapy, suggesting a role for routine post-procedural echocardiography.
May warrant post-procedural echocardiography after retrograde ablation; case report leaves open need for routine imaging protocols.
A 49-year-old woman underwent a successful radiofrequency catheter ablation of a left-sided accessory pathway using a retrograde approach across the aortic valve. Routine echocardiography performed 20 hours after the procedure revealed a new aortic valve mass. Five blood cultures were negative. An echocardiogram after 2 days of heparin therapy showed complete resolution of the mass. There was no clinical evidence of embolization. Echocardiography may need to be performed routinely after catheter ablations performed retrograde across the aortic valve so that this potentially devastating complication can be diagnosed and treated early in its course.
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Raitt et al. (1993) conducted a case report in Left-sided accessory pathway (n=1). Radiofrequency catheter ablation using a retrograde approach across the aortic valve was evaluated on Development of an aortic valve mass. Radiofrequency catheter ablation using a retrograde approach across the aortic valve resulted in a new aortic valve mass that completely resolved after 2 days of heparin therapy.
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