Conclusions CB-2 tended to be more effective in comparison to NCF catheter and at least non-inferior to CF catheter , with shorter procedure time and similar safety endpoint
Purpose Currently , radiofrequency ( RF ) and cryoballoon are the most commonly used ablation technologies for atrial fibrillation ( AF ) .
We performed a meta- analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the second-generation cryoballoons ( CB-2 ) compared with RF for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ( PAF ) ablation .
Point-by-Point Radiofrequency Ablation Versus the Cryoballoon or a Novel Combined Approach: A Randomized Trial Comparing 3 Methods of Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (The Cryo Versus RF Trial).
INTRODUCTION Catheter ablation of paroxysmal AF using the Cryoballoon ( CRYO ) has yielded similar success rates to conventional wide encirclement using radiofrequency catheter ablation ( RFCA ) , but r and omized data are lacking . Pilot data suggested a high success rate with a combined approach ( COMBINED ) using wide encirclement with RFCA followed by 2 CRYO applications to each vein . We compared these 3 strategies in a r and omized controlled trial . METHODS AND RESULTS Patients undergoing first time paroxysmal AF ablation were r and omized to RFCA , CRYO , or COMBINED . Patients were followed up at 3 , 6 , and 12 months with 7 days of ambulatory ECG monitoring . Success was defined as freedom from arrhythmia without antiarrhythmic drugs after a single procedure . A total of 237 patients were r and omized . Success at 1 year was achieved in 47 % in the RFCA group , 67 % in the CRYO group , and 76 % in the COMBINED group ( P < 0.001 for RFCA vs. CRYO , P<0.001 for RFCA vs. COMBINED , and P = 0.220 for CRYO vs. COMBINED ) . Procedure time was 211 ( IQR 174 - 256 ) minutes for RFCA compared to 167 ( 136 - 202 ) minutes for CRYO and 278 ( 243 - 327 ) minutes for COMBINED ( P < 0.001 for RFCA vs. COMBINED , RFCA vs. CRYO , and CRYO vs. COMBINED groups ) . CONCLUSIONS Pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal AF is faster with CRYO and results in a higher single procedure success rate than conventional point by point RFCA . The COMBINED approach was not superior to CRYO alone
Conclusions CB-2 tended to be more effective in comparison to NCF catheter and at least non-inferior to CF catheter , with shorter procedure time and similar safety endpoint
Purpose Currently , radiofrequency ( RF ) and cryoballoon are the most commonly used ablation technologies for atrial fibrillation ( AF ) .
We performed a meta- analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the second-generation cryoballoons ( CB-2 ) compared with RF for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ( PAF ) ablation .