Introduction
Left atrial ridge (LAR)—also recognized as coumadin ridge—is the
protruded convergence of left atrial appendage (LAA) and left pulmonary
veins (PV). LAR is also a potential arrhythmogenic site, where embedding
Bachmann’s bundle and close to the ligament of Marshall (1). LAR had
long been a site for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation (2) and one of
the differential diagnosis of high-echo band on echocardiography (3).
Since 2012, combining catheter ablation with left atrial appendage
closure (LAAC) has been reported as a promising therapy for AF patients
(4). Thenceforth, several centres worldwide have reported considerable
efficacy and safety of combined procedure (5-7). Of note, prominent
acute LAR lesion after combined procedure has been reported by some
studies (8,9). Such phenomenon has raised the concern about its impact
on LAAC procedure and overall clinical prognosis. However, neither the
feature of such lesion has been quantitatively evaluated nor its
influence on combined procedure has been elucidated.
Hence, we aimed to innovatively explore the influence of acute LAR
lesion on combined procedure through quantitively evaluating the
peri-procedural and follow-up LAR profile on transesophageal
echocardiography (TEE), and analyze its relationship with preprocedural
information and follow-up outcomes.