Human Atrial Fibrillation Drivers Resolved With Integrated Functional and Structural Imaging to Benefit Clinical Mapping

Abstract

Objectives: This study sought to improve atrial fibrillation (AF) driver identification by integrating clinical multielectrode mapping with driver fingerprints defined by high-resolution ex vivo 3-dimensional (3D) functional and structural imaging.

Background: Clinical multielectrode mapping of AF drivers suffers from variable contact, signal processing, and structural complexity within the 3D human atrial wall, raising questions on the validity of such drivers.

Methods: Sustained AF was mapped in coronary-perfused explanted human hearts (n = 11) with transmural near-infrared optical mapping (∼0.3 mm² resolution). Simultaneously, custom FIRMap catheters (∼9 × 9 mm² resolution) mapped endocardial and epicardial surfaces, which were analyzed by Focal Impulse and Rotor Mapping activation and Rotational Activity Profile (Abbott Labs, Chicago, Illinois). Functional maps were integrated with contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (∼0.1 mm³ resolution) analysis of 3D fibrosis architecture.

Results: During sustained AF, near-infrared optical mapping identified 1 to 2 intramural, spatially stable re-entrant AF drivers per heart. Driver targeted ablation affecting 2.2 ± 1.1% of the atrial surface terminated and prevented AF. Driver regions had significantly higher phase singularity density and dominant frequency than neighboring nondriver regions. Focal Impulse and Rotor Mapping had 80% sensitivity to near-infrared optical mapping-defined driver locations (16 of 20), and matched 14 of 20 driver visualizations: 10 of 14 re-entries seen with Rotational Activity Profile; and 4 of 6 breakthrough/focal patterns. Focal Impulse and Rotor Mapping detected 1.1 ± 0.9 false-positive rotational activity profiles per recording, but these regions had lower intramural contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging fibrosis than did driver regions (14.9 ± 7.9% vs. 23.2 ± 10.5%; p < 0.005).

Conclusions: The study revealed that both re-entrant and breakthrough/focal AF driver patterns visualized by surface-only clinical multielectrodes can represent projections of 3D intramural microanatomic re-entries. Integration of multielectrode mapping and 3D fibrosis analysis may enhance AF driver detection, thereby improving the efficacy of driver-targeted ablation.

Keywords: atrial fibrillation; contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance; drivers; fibrosis; multi-electrode mapping; optical mapping.