Success rates and re-ablation of left sided accessory pathways

The success rate of ablation of left sided accessory pathways is over 95% and the recurrence rate is less than 5%. Most of the recurrences occur within two weeks, though it can occur as late as 6 months after the ablation. Even if it recurs early, it is not advisable to re-ablate within two months. This is because of multiple reasons. The ablated region is likely to have friable tissue and higher chance for myocardial perforation. Some of the pathways which have been damaged by the initial ablation may lose conduction over the ensuing few weeks. Moreover, the presence of edema in response to tissue damage may distort the local electrogram and prevent the efficient delivery of radiofrequency energy to the desired location.