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Show 261 THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Introduction: Gangliar plexi (GP) are bundles of interconnected neurons found embedded in fat pads surrounding the atria of the heart. The GP may form a localized control system for the heart and play a role in the induction of atrial fibrillation (AF). In many cases, the sites of abla-tion overlap the locations of the GP. There will be a higher overlap percentage of fat pad and scar in cured (non-recurrent) patients than uncured (recurrent) patients and that by ablating those regions of greater overlap percentage in the uncured patients during the second abla-tion this will lead to the curing of AF in those patients. Methods: To identify the sites of ablation and locations of the fat pads containing GP, we ac-quired late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) and dark blood (DB) magnetic resonance images (MRI) and analyzed them using segmenting software called Seg3D. Regions of enhanced intensity in LGEMRI scans identified the lesion locations, which we segmented to create a mask or template. The DBMRI scans provided locations of the fat pads, which we also segmented into six separate locations in each heart. To determine overlap between ablation sites and GP, the LGEMRI and DBMRI images were aligned and the extent of overlap quantified. Results: The overlap percentage of fat pad and scar in cured patients compared to uncured patients were very similar and were found to be statistically the same (p>.05) for all fat pads. Conclusion: These findings do not support the hypothesis. The mechanism of initiation and maintenance of AF is still a mystery, but the end goal for ablationists is to ablate a patient once and cure them of their cardiac arrhythmia. This study has aided in getting one step closer to doing just that. THE ROLE OF GANGLIONATED PLEXI IN THE TREATMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION Tyler Marler (Rob Macleod) Department of Bioengineering University of Utah honors college Tyler Marler Rob Macleod |