BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and many AF patients experience a significantly impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). AF is also associated with a high risk of stroke and death. Many pharmacologic treatments for AF are ineffective and may have adverse effects. New methods, such as pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), have been developed to treat AF. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the HRQOL issues in severe symptomatic AF patients before and after pulmonary vein isolation. METHODS: Forty patients treated with PVI were included of which 36 concluded the study with the self-reported HRQOL questionnaires before and once after PVI. A standardized control group was used. RESULTS: Compared to the control group the HRQOL before PVI was significantly lower in all domains except for bodily pain. The preoperative scores were compared with the scores obtained at the follow-up. All subscales of the SF-36 significantly improved after the PVI except for bodily pain, which remained unaltered. CONCLUSION: HRQOL is improved in AF patients with severe symptoms after PVI intervention.