Pace Mapping to Localize the Critical Isthmus of Ventricular Tachycardia

Abstract

Most postinfarct ventricular tachycardias (VT) are sustained by a reentrant mechanism. The "protected isthmus" of the reentrant circuit is critical for the maintenance of VTs and the target for catheter ablation. In this article, the authors describe the technique of pace-mapping during sinus rhythm to unmask postinfarct VT isthmuses. A pace-mapping map should be considered as the surrogate of an activation map during VT, in both patients with a normal heart and patients with a structural heart disease. Pace mapping is useful to unmask VT isthmuses in patients with postinfarct reentrant VTs.

Keywords: Catheter ablation; Electroanatomical mapping; Ischemic cardiomyopathy; Pace-mapping; Ventricular tachycardia.