In vitro characterization of cardiac radiofrequency ablation lesions using optical coherence tomography

Articles:

Title:: In vitro characterization of cardiac radiofrequency ablation lesions using optical coherence tomography
Author(s):: Fleming, Christine P.
Quan, Kara J.
Wang, Hui
Amit, Guy
Rollins, Andrew M.
Date:: 2010
Type:: Articles
Department:: Electrical Engineering
Volume:: 18
Permanent URL:: http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:14907
Book/Journal Title:: Optics Express
Abstract:: Currently, cardiac radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is guided by indirect signals. We demonstrate optical coherence tomography (OCT) characterization of RFA lesions within swine ventricular wedges. Untreated tissue exhibited a consistent birefringence artifact within OCT images due to the organized myocardium, which was not present in treated tissue. Birefringence artifacts were detected by filtering with a Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) to quantify gradient strength. The gradient strength distinguished RFA lesions from untreated sites (p=5.93×10-15) with a sensitivity and specificity of 94.5% and 86.7% respectively. This study demonstrates the potential of OCT for monitoring cardiac RFA, confirming lesion formation and providing feedback to avoid complications.
Subject(s):: Optics
DOI:: http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.18.003079