Left-atrial Fibrosis in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation and Its Comorbidities

Pulmonary vein isolation is an established intervention for atrial fibrillation. Patients with a paroxysmal atrial fibrillation have no or only few comorbidities and a good prognosis in respect to their atrial fibrillation. In contrast, patients with persistent atrial fibrillation often suffer from relevant comorbidities and recurrence of atrial fibrillation is common. Left-atrial fibrosis and its electrophysiological consequences are involved in the recurrence rate, but pathophysiological mechanisms are yet to be better characterized. The study investigates relevant comorbidities to elucidated their effect on atrial fibrosis and recurrence rates of atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, the investigators evaluate the prevalence of these comorbidities.