Conclusions Compared with RF ablation , cryoablation present a comparable long-term AF/atrial tachycardial-free survival and procedure-related adverse events .
Meanwhile , cryoablation markedly shorten the procedure time , nonetheless , with negligible impact on the fluoroscopy time
Aims Cryoablation is a promising alternative technique to RF ablation for treating paroxysmal AF with encouraging results .
However , data about the efficacy and safety comparison between cryoablation and RF ablation is still lacking .
Lower Incidence of Thrombus Formation With Cryoenergy Versus Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation
Background —Radiofrequency ( RF ) catheter ablation is limited by thromboembolic complications . The objective of this study was to compare the incidence and characteristics of thrombi complicating RF and cryoenergy ablation , a novel technology for the catheter-based treatment of arrhythmias . Methods and Results —Ablation  lesions ( n=197 ) were performed in 22 mongrel dogs at right atrial , right ventricular , and left ventricular sites preselected by a r and omized factorial design devised to compare RF ablation with cryocatheter configurations of varying sizes ( 7F and 9F ) , cooling rates ( −1 ° C/s , −5 ° C/s , and −20 ° C/s ) and target temperatures ( −55 ° C and −75 ° C ) . Animals were pretreated with acetylsalicylic acid and received intraprocedural intravenous unfractionated heparin . Seven days after ablation , the incidence of thrombus formation was significantly higher with RF than with cryoablation ( 75.8 % versus 30.1 % , P = 0.0005 ) . In a multiple regression model , RF energy remained an independent predictor of thrombus formation compared with cryoenergy ( OR , 5.6 ; 95 % CI , 1.7 , 18.1;P = 0.0042 ) . Thrombus volume was also significantly greater with RF than with cryoablation ( median , 2.8 versus 0.0 mm3;P < 0.0001 ) . More voluminous thrombi were associated with larger RF lesions , but cryolesion dimensions were not predictive of thrombus size . Conclusions —RF energy is significantly more thrombogenic than cryoenergy , with a higher incidence of thrombus formation and larger thrombus volumes . The extent of hyperthermic tissue injury is positively correlated with thrombus bulk , whereas cryoenergy lesion size does not predict thrombus volume , most likely reflecting intact tissue ultrastructure with endothelial cell preservation
Conclusions Compared with RF ablation , cryoablation present a comparable long-term AF/atrial tachycardial-free survival and procedure-related adverse events .
Meanwhile , cryoablation markedly shorten the procedure time , nonetheless , with negligible impact on the fluoroscopy time
Aims Cryoablation is a promising alternative technique to RF ablation for treating paroxysmal AF with encouraging results .
However , data about the efficacy and safety comparison between cryoablation and RF ablation is still lacking .