Management of Arrhythmias Associated with Cardiac Sarcoidosis

ABSTRACT

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology. The annual incidence of systemic sarcoidosis is estimated at 10–20 per 100,000 individuals. Owing to the recent advances in imaging modalities, cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is diagnosed more frequently. The triad of CS includes conduction abnormality, ventricular tachycardia, and heart failure. Atrial and ventricular arrhythmias are caused by either inflammation or scar formation. Inflammation should be treated with immunosuppression and antiarrhythmic agents and scar formation should be treated with antiarrhythmics and/or ablation, in addition to implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation, if necessary. Ablation can provide a good outcome, but it might require bipolar ablation if the critical portion is located mid-myocardium. Late recurrence might be caused by reactivation of sarcoidosis, which would need to be evaluated by positron emission tomography-computed tomography imaging. Risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with advanced atrioventricular block is not low, and ICD implantation could be considered instead of a pacemaker. For risk stratification for SCD, late gadolinium enhancement by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging or program stimulation is often used.