Background The impact of catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) on all-cause mortality remains unknown. Objective To examine the association between VT recurrence after ablation and survival in patients with scar-related VT. Methods Analysis of 2,061 patients with structural heart disease referred for catheter ablation of scar-related VT from 12 international centers was performed. Data on clinical and procedural variables, VT recurrence, and mortality were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate freedom from recurrent VT, transplant, and death. Cox proportional hazards frailty models were used to analyze the effect of risk factors on VT recurrence and mortality. Results One-year freedom from VT recurrence was 70% (72% in ischemic and 68% in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy). 57 (3%) patients underwent cardiac transplantation and 216 (10%) died during follow-up. At one year, the estimated rate of transplant and/or mortality was 15% (same for ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy). Transplant-free survival was significantly higher in patients without VT recurrence compared to those with recurrence (90% vs. 71%, p<0.001). In multivariable analysis, recurrence of VT after ablation showed the highest risk for transplant and/or mortality (HR 6.9 (5.3-9.0); p<0.001). In patients with EF<30% and across all NYHA classes, improved transplant-free survival was seen in those without VT recurrence. Conclusions Catheter ablation of VT in patients with structural heart disease results in 70% freedom from VT recurrence, with an overall transplant and/or mortality rate of 15% at 1 year. Freedom from VT recurrence is associated with improved transplant-free survival, independent of heart failure severity.

Additional LVZ-based substrate modification after PVI improved the outcome in PeAF patients with LVZs, whereas PVI alone worked in patients without LVZs, even in those with PeAF.

A large-scale full-parallax computer-generated hologram (CGH) with four billion (2 16 × 2 16 ) pixels is created to reconstruct a fine true 3D image of a scene, with occlusions. The polygon-based method numerically generates the object field of a surface object, whose shape is provided by a set of vertex data of polygonal facets, while the silhouette method makes it possible to reconstruct the occluded scene. A novel technique using the segmented frame buffer is presented for handling and propagating large wave fields even in the case where the whole wave field cannot be stored in memory. We demonstrate that the fullparallax CGH, calculated by the proposed method and fabricated by a laser lithography system, reconstructs a fine 3D image accompanied by a strong sensation of depth.

The factors significantly associated with favorable surgical results were maximum ossification located at the upper thoracic spine and use of instrumentation. T-OPLL at the nonkyphotic upper thoracic spine can be treated by laminoplasty that is relatively a safe surgical procedure for neural elements. The use of instrumentation allows correction of kyphosis or prevention of progression of kyphosis, thereby, enhancing and maintaining decompression effect, and its use should be considered with posterior decompression.

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