Pulmonary vein orifice isolation for elimination of chronic atrial fibrillation

We present a 61-year-old woman with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) associated with mitral valve disease. Chronic AF was successfully treated by simple isolation of pulmonary vein orifices concomitant with mitral valve replacement. AF did not recur during a subsequent follow-up period of 12 months. This procedure has numerous advantages, such as short duration of surgical time, no requirement for cryoablation, and a reduced risk of coronary artery injury.