| 1. | Wijffels MC, Kirchhof CJ, Dorland R, Allessie MA: Atrial fibrillation begets atrial fibrillation. A study in awake chronically instrumented goats. Circulation. 1995; 92: 1954–68. MEDLINE |
| 2. | Van Wagoner DR, Pond AL, Lamorgese M, Rossie SS, McCarthy PM, Nerbonne JM: Atrial L-type Ca2+ currents and human atrial fibrillation. Circ Res 1999; 85: 428–36. MEDLINE |
| 3. | Schotten U, Haase H, Frechen D, Greiser M, Stellbrink C, Vazquez-Jimenez JF et al.: The L-type Ca(2+)-channel subunits alpha(1C) and beta(2) are not downregulated in atrial myocardium of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2003; 35: 437–43. MEDLINE |
| 4. | Christ T, Boknik P, Wohrl S, Wettwer E, Graf EM, Bosch RF et al.: L-type Ca2+ current downregulation in chronic human atrial fibrillation is associated with increased activity of protein phosphatases. Circulation 2004; 110: 2651–57. MEDLINE |
| 5. | Schotten U, Duytschaever M, Ausma J, Eijsbouts S, Neuberger HR, Allessie M: Electrical and contractile remodeling during the first days of atrial fibrillation go hand in hand. Circulation 2003; 107: 1433–39. MEDLINE |
| 6. | Manning WJ, Silverman DI, Katz SE, Riley MF, Come PC, Doherty RM et al.: Impaired left atrial mechanical function after cardioversion: relation to the duration of atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol 1994; 23: 1535–40. MEDLINE |
| 7. | Allessie M, Ausma J, Schotten U: Electrical, contractile and structural remodeling during atrial fibrillation. Cardiovasc Res 2002; 54: 230–46. MEDLINE |
| 8. | Haissaguerre M, Jais P, Shah DC, Takahashi A, Hocini M, Quiniou G et al.: Spontaneous initiation of atrial fibrillation by ectopic beats originating in the pulmonary veins. N Engl J Med 1998; 339: 659–66. MEDLINE |
| 9. | Haverkamp W, Breithardt G, Camm AJ, Janse MJ, Rosen MR, Antzelevitch C et al.: The potential for QT prolongation and proarrhythmia by non-antiarrhythmic drugs: clinical and regulatory implications. Report on a policy conference of the European Society of Cardiology. Eur Heart J 2000; 21: 1216–31. MEDLINE |
| 10. | Fuster V, Ryden LE, Asinger RW, Cannom DS, Crijns HJ, Frye RL et al.: ACC/AHA/ESC guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the European Society of Cardiology Committee for Practice Guidelines and Policy Conferences (Committee to develop guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation) developed in collaboration with the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. Eur Heart J 2001; 22: 1852–23. MEDLINE |
| 11. | Hobbs WJ, Fynn S, Todd DM, Wolfson P, Galloway M, Garratt CJ: Reversal of atrial electrical remodeling after cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation in humans. Circulation 2000; 101: 1145–51. MEDLINE |
| 12. | Kirchhof P, Eckardt L, Franz MR, Monnig G, Loh P, Wedekind H et al.: Prolonged atrial action potential durations and polymorphic atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with long QT syndrome. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2003; 14: 1027–33. MEDLINE |
| 13. | Kirchhof P, Fetsch T, Hanrath P, Meinertz T, Steinbeck G, Lehmacher W et al.: Targeted pharmacological reversal of electrical remodeling after cardioversion – rationale and design of the Flec-SL Trial. American Heart Journal 2005; in press. MEDLINE |
| 14. | Kirchhof PF, Fabritz CL, Franz MR: Postrepolarization refractoriness versus conduction slowing caused by class I antiarrhythmic drugs: antiarrhythmic and proarrhythmic effects. Circulation 1998; 97: 2567–74. MEDLINE |
| 15. | Blaauw Y, Gogelein H, Tieleman RG, van Hunnik A, Schotten U, Allessie MA: „Early“ class III drugs for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: efficacy and atrial selectivity of AVE0118 in remodeled atria of the goat. Circulation 2004; 110: 1717–24. MEDLINE |
| 16. | Schotten U, Lamorgese M, Castel L, Harks E, Goegelein H, Van Wagoner DR: The Ito/IKur blocker AVE0118 increases atrial contractility by enhancement of reverse mode Na/Ca exchange. Heart Rhythm 2005; 2: S13-abstract. |
| 17. | Schotten U, de Haan S, Blaauw Y, Goegelein H, Allessie M: Complete restoration of atrial contractility by the atrial K+-channel blocker AVE0118 after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in the goat. Circulation 2004; 110: III–97. |
| 18. | Wettwer E, Hala O, Christ T, Heubach JF, Dobrev D, Knaut M et al.: Role of IKur in controlling action potential shape and contractility in the human atrium: influence of chronic atrial fibrillation. Circulation 2004; 110: 2299–6. MEDLINE |
| 19. | Roy D, Rowe BH, Stiell IG, Coutu B, Ip JH, Phaneuf D et al.: A randomized, controlled trial of RSD1235, a novel anti-arrhythmic agent, in the treatment of recent onset atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol 2004; 44: 2355–61. MEDLINE |
| 20. | McEwan PE, Gray GA, Sherry L, Webb DJ, Kenyon CJ: Differential effects of angiotensin II on cardiac cell proliferation and intramyocardial perivascular fibrosis in vivo. Circulation 1998; 98: 2765–73. MEDLINE |
| 21. | Li D, Fareh S, Leung TK, Nattel S: Promotion of atrial fibrillation by heart failure in dogs: atrial remodeling of a different sort. Circulation 1999; 100: 87–95. MEDLINE |
| 22. | Brugada R, Tapscott T, Czernuszewicz GZ, Marian AJ, Iglesias A, Mont L et al.: Identification of a genetic locus for familial atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med 1997; 336: 905–11. MEDLINE |
| 23. | Wiesfeld AC, Hemels ME, Van Tintelen JP, Van den Berg MP, Van Veldhuisen DJ, Van Gelder IC: Genetic aspects of atrial fibrillation. Cardiovasc Res 2005; 67: 414–8. MEDLINE |
| 24. | Fox CS, Parise H, D'Agostino RB Sr., Lloyd-Jones DM, Vasan RS, Wang TJ et al.: Parental atrial fibrillation as a risk factor for atrial fibrillation in offspring. JAMA 2004; 291: 2851–55. MEDLINE |
| 25. | Pappone C, Oreto G, Lamberti F, Vicedomini G, Loricchio ML, Shpun S et al.: Catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation using a 3D mapping system. Circulation 1999; 100: 1203–08. MEDLINE |
| e1. | Weerasooriya R, Jais P, Hocini M, Scavee C, MacLe L, Hsu LF et al.: Effect of catheter ablation on quality of life of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm 2005; 2: 619–23. |