Directed Network Mapping Hints the Ablation Strategy for Atrial Flutter: a Proof of Concept

Atrial flutter (AFL) is typically characterized by electrical activity propagating around specific anatomical regions and it is usually treated with catheter ablation. In this study, we modeled the electrical propagation pattern of AFL using directed network mapping (DNM). DNM is a recent method that makes use of network theory (NT) to characterize the electrical propagation [1, 2], such as the identification of cycles and focal points. The network is composed by nodes and edges resembling electrodes located across the atrial surface and the direction of the electrical propagation from one electrode to another.