Clinical Arrhythmia Imaging System: ExTRa Mapping

We believe in overcoming refractory arrhythmias.
We believe in approaching differently for the arrhythmias.
The approach we challenge is safer, simpler, and sophisticated.
We just happened to make a novel real-time arrhythmia imaging system.

Atrial fibrillation is the major cause of cerebral infarction and heart failure. As the number of atrial fibrillation patients increases with aging of the population, the treatment is considered as urgent task in the countries with super-aged society.

In recent years, pulmonary vein isolation by catheter ablation has been conducted for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. However, such ablation strategy is not so effective for non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation including persistent / long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

To improve the outcome of non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation, it has been suggested that direct visualization of the atrial fibrillation drivers (perpetuators) rather than the indirect indicators based on intra-atrial electrocardiograms is required. Optical mapping technique is available in animal experiments; however, such direct visualization is technically not avialable in clinical practice.

ExTRa Mapping^TM was developed mainly by Dr. Takashi Ashihara (right panel) of Shiga University of Medical Science (Patented, Approved by PMDA in 2015).

We are now working on the research developing a novel ablation strategy for non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with the use of the ExTRa Mapping.

Ashihara T: Real-time imaging of clinical non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by newly developed online real-time phase mapping system: The ExTRa Mapping project from Japan. APHRS Newsletter 2018;36:3-6.

Sakata K, Okuyama Y, Ozawa T, Haraguchi R, Nakazawa K, Tsuchiya T, Horie M, Ashihara T: Not all rotors, effective ablation targets for nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation, are included in areas suggested by conventional indirect indicators of atrial fibrillation drivers: ExTRa Mapping project. J Arrhythm 2018;34:176-184.