Aims: Iatrogenic pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis after radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is a new pathology in cardiology. The effects of PV stenosis on the pulmonary circulation are not yet known. We provide long-term follow-up data in patients with significant PV stenosis including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Swan Ganz (SG) right heart catheterization.
Methods and results: One hundred and seventeen patients had MRI 12-24 months after the AF ablation procedure. Eleven patients (58+/-7 years, nine males) with significant stenosis (n=9) or occlusion of the proximal PV (n=5) at this follow-up were re-examined using MRI and SG right heart catheterization at rest and during exercise (follow-up time since PV ablation 50+/-15 months). None of these underwent previous PV angioplasty. When compared with prior MRI studies, no significant changes were noted. At rest, no patient had pulmonary hypertension. At 100 W, seven patients had elevated pulmonary artery pressures, three of them probably caused, in part, by left ventricular dysfunction.
Conclusion: Significant stenosis/occlusions of one or two PV do not create pulmonary hypertension at rest during long-term follow-up. However, seven of the 11 patients develop pulmonary hypertension during exercise. All three patients with stenosis/occlusions of two PV were affected.