Key Teaching Points
•
While catheter ablation can be an effective therapy for Purkinje-related arrhythmias,
including fascicular ventricular tachycardia (F-VT), detection of the critical site
by mapping the Purkinje fiber network is required to successfully treat them.
•
Mid-to-late diastolic potentials during F-VT, the common target of catheter ablation,
that could not be recorded by linear catheters were reproducibly recorded using a
PentaRay catheter.
•
The PentaRay catheter is useful and sometimes essential in mapping and ablation for
Purkinje-related arrhythmias, including F-VT, which requires a precise mapping of
the Purkinje fiber network.
Introduction
The Purkinje fiber network serves as an arrhythmogenic substrate for idiopathic ventricular
tachycardia.
1
While catheter ablation can be an effective therapy for Purkinje-related arrhythmias,
detection of the critical site by mapping the Purkinje fiber network is required to
successfully treat them. We report a case of verapamil-sensitive left-posterior fascicular
ventricular tachycardia (F-VT) successfully treated with catheter ablation guided
by a precise mapping using a PentaRay catheter.
Case report
A 17-year-old man visited our hospital owing to palpitation and faintness. An electrocardiogram
exhibited wide QRS tachycardia (cycle length = 270 ms) with right bundle branch block
and left axis deviation (Figure 1). Intravenous administration of verapamil 1.25 mg
terminated this tachycardia with deceleration of heart rate. The tachycardia was thought
to be verapamil-sensitive left-posterior F-VT. Several months later, he visited our
hospital again, owing to the recurrent tachycardia. We thus decided to undertake catheter
ablation.
Figure 1
A 12-lead electrocardiogram showing left-posterior fascicular ventricular tachycardia.
In the electrophysiologic study, we placed a 5F quadripolar catheter (Inquiry C1,
St. Jude Medical, Saint Paul, MN) at the His bundle site and a 5F decapolar catheter
(Inquiry M-SC, St. Jude Medical) in the coronary sinus via the left femoral vein,
and a mapping and ablation catheter (FlexAbility, St. Jude Medical) at the right ventricular
septum via the right femoral vein. The tachycardia was induced by a programmed stimulus
from the right ventricle and the atrioventricular dissociation was confirmed. The
HV intervals during sinus rhythm and F-VT were 57 ms and -30 ms, respectively. We
performed entrainment pacing to the F-VT, and a progressive fusion in response to
the right ventricular septum pacing in variable pacing cycle lengths was observed.
Then, we placed a linear duodecapolar catheter with 5F, 1-mm tip and 3-mm center-to-center
spaced electrodes (Livewire, St. Jude Medical) in the left ventricle (LV) longitudinally
via a retrograde aortic approach. We carefully mapped the posteroseptal wall of the
LV by manipulating the steerable linear duodecapolar catheter. We recorded high-frequency,
presystolic potentials (P2), which represent the left-posterior fascicular potentials,
conducting retrogradely during the F-VT along the linear catheter. However, mid-to-late
diastolic potentials (P1) during F-VT preceding P2 potentials and LV muscular potentials,
the common target of catheter ablation for F-VT, could not be recorded. Thus, we tried
to map precisely around the site where the earliest P2 and the subsequent ventricular
potential during the F-VT were recorded (electrodes 5/6 of the linear catheter), using
a duodecapolar catheter that has 5 soft radiating splines with 3F, 1-mm tip and 2-mm
center-to-center spaced electrodes (PentaRay, Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA) via
a transseptal approach with a deflectable sheath (Agilis, St. Jude Medical) (Figure 2A).
The PentaRay catheter and the EnSite NavX System (St. Jude Medical) were bypassed
by the patient interface unit of the CARTO System (Biosense Webster). By using the
PentaRay catheter, we could reproducibly record P1 in the posteroseptal region of
the LV. We tagged the sites with P1 in white on the 3-dimensional mapping system (EnSite
Velocity System, St. Jude Medical). A discrete P1 with subsequent P2 were recorded
stably around the earliest P2 site (electrodes 1–4 of the PentaRay catheter in Figure 2A–C),
and we tagged such sites in orange (Figure 2B). The P1 and P2 activation map revealed
that the F-VT propagated downward in the septal wall of the LV to the site where P1
met P2 (the orange dots), and turned upward. Then, we positioned the irrigated mapping
and ablation catheter with 7F, 4-mm tip and 3.5-mm center-to-center spaced electrodes
to the site of the larger orange dot with a transseptal approach, but the P1 could
not be recorded (Figure 3). We started an application of radiofrequency energy (35
W) to the site of the larger orange dot, and the F-VT was terminated after prolongation
of the tachycardia cycle length and was never induced by isoproterenol infusion and
programmed stimuli. After the session, F-VT did not recur during 6 months of follow-up.
Figure 2
A: Right anterior oblique (RAO) and left anterior oblique (LAO) views of fluoroscopy
during mapping of the left ventricle. B: A 3-dimensional map in the left ventricle
(EnSite Velocity system). The yellow dots indicate the His bundle site. The aqua-lined
dots indicate the site where the left-posterior fascicle potentials (P2) were recorded
and the blue dots indicate the earliest P2 site. The white dots indicate the sites
where the mid-to-late diastolic potentials (P1) were recorded. The orange dots indicate
the sites where discrete P1 and subsequent P2 were recorded stably (PEN 1–4). Several
local electrograms of P1 recorded with a PentaRay catheter (black arrowheads) were
also shown in the map. We delivered radiofrequency energy to the site of the larger
orange dot. C: Intracardiac electrogram during fascicular ventricular tachycardia.
Earliest P2 and the subsequent ventricular potential were recorded at MAP 5, 6, and
they conducted upward along the linear catheter (white downward arrows). P1, which
could not be recorded with the linear catheter, were reproducibly recorded with the
PentaRay catheter. P1 (black arrows) and subsequent P2 (white upward arrows) around
the earliest P2 site were recorded stably at PEN 1, 2 and 3, 4. Square waves at MAP
7, 8 and PEN 13, 14 are artifacts.
Figure 3
A: Right anterior oblique (RAO) and left anterior oblique (LAO) views of fluoroscopy
during application of radiofrequency (RF) energy. B: The large-tip mapping and ablation
catheter could not record the late diastolic potentials during fascicular ventricular
tachycardia (F-VT). After an application of RF energy was started, ventricular tachycardia
terminated following prolongation of the tachycardia cycle length. C: Magnification
of the comparison of the local electrograms recorded at the targeted P1 site using
the linear duodecapolar catheter, the mapping and ablation catheter, and the PentaRay
catheter, respectively, before an application of radiofrequency energy.
Discussion
We here report a case of verapamil-sensitive F-VT successfully treated with catheter
ablation guided by a precise mapping of P1 using a PentaRay catheter. A century ago,
Tawara
2
reported Purkinje fibers as a conduction system of the ventricle. Recently, there
have been a number of reports on so-called “Purkinje-related arrhythmias,” including
F-VT.1, 3 Although P1 is the common target of catheter ablation for F-VT, P1 cannot
be recorded in up to one third of cases using linear catheters.
4
There may be some anatomical limitations in such cases: P1 fiber may not be long or
parallel to the long axis of the LV, which makes it difficult to record P1 with linear
catheters. In addition, linear catheters may not touch along the Purkinje fiber network
with sufficient contact to record P1 owing to endocardial trabeculations. We previously
reported advantages of using a PentaRay catheter to detect discrete Purkinje potentials
for mapping of Purkinje-related premature ventricular contractions and triggered ventricular
fibrillation.
5
The advantages of the PentaRay catheter for mapping the Purkinje fiber network are
as follows: First, the small electrodes and close spacings allow the recording of
fine potentials that might be missed with larger electrodes.
6
Second, the 5 radiating flexible splines of the PentaRay catheter can crawl into the
3-dimensional network structure and facilitate precise mapping along the Purkinje
fiber network. In this case, with the use of the PentaRay catheter, we could reproducibly
record discrete P1 that could not be recorded with the linear catheters (Figure 3C).
Interestingly, the PentaRay catheter also recorded several continuous fractionated
potentials in the early to mid-diastolic phase of F-VT, some of which might represent
an upper part of the F-VT circuit. Further investigation is warranted.
Conclusion
The PentaRay catheter is useful and sometimes essential in mapping and ablation for
Purkinje-related arrhythmias, including F-VT, which requires a precise mapping of
the Purkinje fiber network.