心房颤动（房颤）是临床最常见的心律失常。自主神经重构是房颤触发和维持的重要结构基础，合理的干预自主神经可以改善房颤的治疗效果。其中，交感神经活性升高对房颤的触发和维持有重要的促进作用。研究已证实，切除交感干的星状神经节（stellate ganglion, SG），可以通过降低交感神经活性有效抑制房颤。但切除SG的并发症多，故未被应用到房颤治疗中。除SG外，T2-T4交感神经节也是心脏交感干的重要组成部分。而切断T2-T4交感干则是安全、可行的，现已被用于治疗手汗症。以往研究已发现，切断T2-T4交感干可以通过降低心脏自主神经活性减慢心率。我们前期研究也已证实，切断T2-T4交感干可以减弱交感神经对心脏的支配，这对改善房颤治疗效果可能有重要意义。本课题，我们拟在前期研究基础上，进一步研究切断T2-T4交感干对房颤触发和维持的影响，并探究其机制，以期望通过本项目的研究优化房颤的治疗方法。

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Autonomic nerve remodeling is considered as an important structural basis for AF occurrence and maintenance. Reasonable autonomic nerve intervention can improve the treatment of AF. Increased sympathetic nerve activity played an important role in the process of AF occurrence and maintenance. Previous studies have demonstrated that resection of stellate ganglion (SG) could inhibit AF occurrence and maintenance by reducing sympathetic nerve activity. But the resection of SG is not applied to the treatment of AF because of serious complication. In addition to SG, T2-T4 sympathetic ganglions are also an important part of cardiac sympathetic trunk. T2-T4 sympathicotomy is safe and feasible, which has been used to treat hyperhidrosis. Previous studies have shown that T2-T4 sympathicotomy could slow heart rate by reducing cardiac autonomic nervous activity. Besides, our previous study also showed that T2-T4 sympathicotomy could decrease cardiac sympathetic innervation, which may be benefit for suppressing AF. Therefore, we intend to explore the effects of T2-T4 sympathicotomy on the occurrence and maintenance of AF. We expect to optimize the treatment of AF by considering T2-T4 sympathetic trunk as a new therapeutic target for AF.