Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine
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Recent work from France indicates that many cases of atrial fibrillation arise from foci of rapidly firing cells, most of which are located not within the atria but within the pulmonary veins. Armed with this new knowledge, we are pursuing strategies of permanently preventing atrial fibrillation by destroying these foci using radiofrequency ablation.
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Low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) shows promise as a screening test for lung cancer, as it detects many more malignant pulmonary nodules than does standard plain radiography of the chest. Yet until more data are available we need to temper our enthusiasm. No studies have yet determined if using low-dose spiral CT as a screening test will lead to lower mortality rates. This paper reviews the issue of lung cancer screening and low-dose spiral CT.