Mathematics helps assessing the risks of esophageal thermal lesions in pulmonary veins isolation by means of cryoablation

Abstract

Cryoablation of the pulmonary veins ostia in the left atrium is a procedure often used to cure drug resistant atrial fibrillation. Among the possible complications esophageal thermal lesions can be induced, which in some case turn out to be lethal. Hence the importance of predicting the thermal field created around the heart during the procedure. This goal is achieved here by utilizing a suitably simplified geometry and assuming that heat propagation is governed by the bioheat equation with temperature dependent blood perfusion rate.