Résumé
BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) in dog triggers myocardial nerve sprouting and sympathetic hyperinnevation. It is possible that RFCA in humans has the same effect. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurons nurture that supports the survival and differentiation of sympathetic neurons and enhances target innervation. Therefore, it is hypothetic that RFCA can increases plasma NGF concentration in humans.OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that RFCA increases plasma NGF concentration in humans.DESIGN: Self-control experiment.SETTING: Department of Cardiology, Tangdu Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.PARTICIPANTS: Forty-three patients were selected from the Cardiological Department of Tangdu Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA from January to June 2005, including atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) (n=18), right-sided accessory pathways (RSAP) (n=13) and left-sided accessory pathways (LSAP) (n=12), 20 males and 23 females, ages 28-65 years, all agreed to participate in the study voluntarily.METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from the peripheral veins before ablation and at 6 hours, 1, 3, 5, 7 days after ablation. The plasma concentration of NGF was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The plasma concentration of NGF was determined with ELISA before RFCA and at 6 hours, 1, 3, 5, 7 days after RFCA in each patient.RESULTS: Total 43 patients who were referred for ablation therapy for AVNRT, RSAP and LSAP were involved in the result analysis without loss. Plasma NGF increased at 6 hours after RFCA. Increased NGF continued to 7 days in the RFCA treated patients. The plasma NGF concentrations at 6 hours, 1, 3, 5, 7 days after RFCA in AVNRT, RSAP and LSAP ablations treated patients were (29.72±7.04), (30.94±5.68),(31.39 ±4.92), (31.06 ±4.56), (29.11 ±4.59), (31.77 ±6.25), (30.69 ±5.10),(31.46±4.96), (30.15±4.01), (30.43±3.14), (31.42±6.75), (31.00±5.20),(32.08±4.62), (30.67±3.71), (29.27±2.75) μg/L, respectively, and all more than that before RFCA [(14.89±2.84), (15.00±2.71), (15.51±2.75) μg/L, P ＜ 0.01]. However, there were no significant differences in the NGF levels at 6 hours, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after RFCA (P ＞ 0.05). The plasma NGF concentration was not significant different among AVNRT, RSAP and LSAP ablation patients at any given time (P ＞ 0.05). The number of RFCA applications, the procedure time and the total energy have no correlation with NGF concentration at any given time instance.CONCLUSION: RFCA increases plasma NGF concentration in humans and lasts for at least 7 days. The number of RFCA applications, the procedure time and the total energy have no correlation with NGF concentration at any given time instance.