Kezia Jerltorp - PhD Scholarship 2024
Project summary:
Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging assessment of early and late cardiac pulsed field ablation lesions
Catheter ablation is the cornerstone in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Different ablation modalities result in varying ablation lesions. This project aims to investigate and compare lesion formation and maturation caused by conventional thermal radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and the novel pulsed-field ablation (PFA) in both acute and chronic states. By integrating novel and established in-vivo MRI techniques with histological analysis, the aim is to create a work-up for non-invasive in-vivo assessment of lesions, improving the treatment of AF.
Project Title
Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging assessment of early and late cardiac pulsed field ablation lesions
Background
Catheter ablation is the cornerstone in treating the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation. In addition to conventional thermal energy sources, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), pulsed-field ablation (PFA) has been rapidly introduced as a new and promising ablation modality that specifically causes cell death of cardiomyocytes by irreversible electroporation. Lesion creation by PFA is conceptionally different from RFA and has not been systematically investigated, yet.
Aim
Our research aims to establish and validate an in-vivo multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) approach to non-invasively assess ablation lesion formation and maturation performed by RFA or PFA, to gain valuable insights into the characteristics of the acute and chronic ablation lesions caused by the different energy sources.
Methods
This interdisciplinary project will use a well-established pig model to investigate the acute ablation lesions and follow them over a 6-week period by combining novel in-vivo MRI modalities (TWILITE and magnetic resonance elastography) with already established MRI techniques (late gadolinium enhancement). These MRI markers will be cross validated with extensive histology of the pig atrium before the mpMRI approach will be clinically translated and validated in a patient group.
Kezia Jerltorp
- Med.vet.
- University of Copenhagen, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Main supervisor:
Professor Dominik Linz, University of Copenhagen and Maastricht University Medical Centre+
Co-supervisors:
Professor Thomas Jespersen, University of Copenhagen, Institute of Biomedical Sciences
Sevasti-Maria Chaldoupi, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Clinical Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist
Niels Vejlstrup, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Chief Physician in Cardiology