Comparison of the Arrhythmogenic Substrate between Men and Women with Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Background Outcomes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation in structural heart disease have been reported to differ by sex. Whether this is due to differences in the underlying arrhythmogenic substrates among patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) remains unclear. Objectives The aim of this study is to discover the characteristics of arrhythmogenic substrates between genders in nonischemic cardiomyopathy patients. Methods We analyzed 160 consecutive patients (26 women) with NICM, receiving VT ablation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Of these 160 patients, 59 (13 women) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) before the ablation procedure. The arrhythmogenic substrate was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by CMR and/or detailed electroanatomic mapping. Results There were no significant differences in left ventricular scar percentage as defined by CMR (9.5±7.8% in women vs 11.2±8.6% in men; p=0.5), endocardial bipolar voltage ( Conclusion Scar percentage, transmurality and distribution are similar between women and men with NICM.