Background: In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of atrium diameter on the successful treatment of atrial fibrillation through the radiofrequency ablation technique.

Methods: Between January 2003 and December 2010, 124 patients with chronic atrial fibrillation who were scheduled for mitral valve surgery due to mitral valve disease in our heart and vascular surgery clinic were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were examined in two main groups which were divided into four subgroups. While dividing them, the type of ablation technique and the left atrium diameter were taken into consideration. The preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data of the patients were assessed.

Results: In our study, it was determined that very successful results were achieved for both patient groups in the evaluations based on the left atrium diameter of those subjects who underwent both unipolar ablation and bipolar ablation. In addition, return to sinus rhythm in patients with a left atrium diameter of <60 mm who underwent unipolar ablation occurred at about 80% rate, which was similar to the patients with a left atrium diameter of >60 mm. Comparable results were also obtained with the patients who underwent bipolar ablation. In the patient follow-up, it was observed that the postoperative rhythm of each patient group were stable.

Conclusion: Regardless of the diameter of the left atrium, the results of radiofrequency ablation surgeries with the radical technological developments today are satisfactory.

Keywords : Atrial fibrillation; atrium diameter; radiofrequency ablation