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Can MRI scar maps guide more precise heart ablations?
NCT ID NCT03444337
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at Ohio State University are testing whether high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI can show the scar tissue in the heart that matches the electrical rotors targeted during FIRM-guided ablation for atrial fibrillation. About 20 adults with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation who are scheduled for a clinically indicated ablation will have an MRI before the procedure. The study compares MRI-detected fibrotic regions with the sites identified by FIRM mapping to see if the two line up, and it tracks whether ablation successfully isolates the pulmonary veins and slows or stops the abnormal heart rhythm.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- FIRM-guided catheter ablation with high-resolution contrast-enhanced MRI
- What this could lead to
- If the imaging matches the ablation targets, doctors could plan more precise ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation and possibly reduce repeat treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This small imaging study may not find a clear link between MRI scar patterns and the electrical rotors that FIRM targets. MRI contrast carries rare risks, and the findings may not apply to all patients with atrial fibrillation.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2016
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing clinically-indicated ablation procedure employing FIRM mapping with pre-operative MRI
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing clinically-indicated ablation procedure employing FIRM mapping with pre-operative MRI. 2. Subjects must be at least 18 years of age. Exclusion Criteria: 1. LAA thrombus present on pre-procedure TEE 2. Unable to undergo MRI imaging 3. Unable to receive gadolinium contrast.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ohio State University
RECRUITINGColumbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
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