In Layman’s Terms: What is Post-Ablation ‘Recurrence’?
“Recurrence” or “Re-connection” is a general term electrophysiologists (EPs) use to describe when A-Fib returns after a successful catheter ablation.
Heart tissue is very tough and resilient. There is a tendency for ablated heart tissue to heal itself, regrow the ablated area, reconnect, and start producing A-Fib signals again.

Illustration: cyroballoon ablation
But if this happens, it usually occurs within approximately the first three to six months of the initial catheter ablation.
This type of recurrence may happen because the heart tissue was not originally ablated properly, the burn lesion may not have been deep enough (transmural).
In practice, there are four basic types of recurrence found primarily when using RF point-by-point ablation…continue reading more about recurrence…