The role of myocardial fibrosis in determining the success rate of ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and with an aging population its prevalence will increase. In addition to appropriate anticoagulation to reduce the thromboembolic risk, there has been an increasing need for a personalised approach in identifying which patients are likely to benefit more from atrial fibrillation ablation procedures. This review will discuss the role of myocardial fibrosis in patients with atrial fibrillation, its mechanistic role, association with biomarkers and how this could potentially be of use in the development of a risk score identifying the success of maintaining sinus rhythm following an electrophysiological ablation.