Pulmonary Vein Stenosis after Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: An Early Diagnosis Using Unenhanced Computed Tomography

Abstract

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a serious complication of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). PVS generally occurs several months after CA and presents with non-specific symptoms and imaging findings. There have been reports of delayed diagnoses due to a misdiagnosis as infection, interstitial pneumonia, or organizing pneumonia. We introduced six cases of PVS after CA, all of which showed narrowing of the unilateral pulmonary vessels with or without lobar volume loss in the left lung on unenhanced computed tomography. We report these findings as important results indicating the possibility of PVS after CA for AF and contributing to the early diagnosis and management of PVS.