Acute Gastric Dilation after Catheter Ablation

摘要

A 71-year-old man with heart failure was admitted for radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation were successfully performed. Three days after PVI, the patient experienced nausea, and abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed gastric dilation (Picture 1), which improved by day 11 after administration of metoclopramide, mosapride and erythromycin (Picture 2). Catheter ablation can cause gastrointestinal disorders through periesophageal vagal nerve injury due to the proximity to the pulmonary vein; its incidence within 48 hours of the procedure is 1.1% (1). Gastric dilation is often diagnosed by CT, and gastric peristalsis is confirmed by endoscopy.