Successful percutaneous epicardial catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia arising from the crux of the heart in a patient with prior coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract

A 63-year-old man with a history of remote inferior myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) underwent catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Epicardial catheter ablation of the VT was successful at the crux of the heart despite limited mapping within the pericardial space due to pericardial adhesion. Percutaneous subxiphoidal pericardial approach is usually impossible in patients with a history of open heart surgery due to pericardial adhesions. This report suggested that epicardial VT arising from the crux of the heart could be successfully treated by catheter ablation via subxiphoidal pericardial approach despite pericardial adhesions complicated by prior CABG.

Keywords

• Crux of the heart
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Open heart surgery
• Pericardial adhesion
• Epicardial catheter ablation