Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| Catheter GroupN = 83 | Surgical GroupN = 83 | P Value | |
| Age (yrs) | 55±12 | 57±11 | 0.29 |
| Sex (male/female) | 52/31 | 58/25 | 0.41 |
| Duration of AF (months) | 70±74 | 71±65 | 0.16 |
| History of smoking | 29 | 25 | 0.62 |
| History of alcohol | 15 | 21 | 0.35 |
| Hypertension | 40 | 37 | 0.76 |
| Diabetes | 11 | 10 | NS |
| Hyperthyroidism | 5 | 1 | 0.21 |
| Stroke | 7 | 13 | 0.23 |
| Permanent pacemaker implantation | 5 | 6 | NS |
| Number of anticoagulant therapy | |||
| Warfarin | 28 | 34 | 0.42 |
| Aspirin | 38 | 34 | 0.64 |
| Number of digitalis | 28 | 27 | NS |
| Number of AAD | |||
| Beta receptor blocker | 39 | 43 | 0.64 |
| Amiodarone | 35 | 37 | 0.88 |
| LAD (mm) | 53±11 | 51±12 | 0.25 |
| LVED (mm) | 48±5 | 48±6 | 0.92 |
| LVEF (%) | 61±7 | 62±9 | 0.25 |
AAD = antiarrhythmic drugs; AF = atrial fibrillation; LAD = left atrial dimension; LVED = left ventricular end diastolic dimension; LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction.