Conclusion In patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation  , cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablation produce similar results in terms of freedom from recurrent atrial fibrillation or atrial tachyarrhythmias but with a different safety profile , being cryoballoon ablation less associated with cardiac complications but more likely to cause phrenic nerve palsy
Aims To perform an up date d meta- analysis to assess efficacy , safety and technical performance of pulmonary vein isolation using cryoballoon or radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation .
Pulmonary venous isolation by antral ablation with a large cryoballoon for treatment of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation: medium-term outcomes and non-randomised comparison with pulmonary venous isolation by radiofrequency ablation
Background To prevent  atrial fibrillation ( AF ) recurrence after catheter ablation , pulmonary venous isolation ( PVI ) at an antral level is more effective than segmental ostial ablation . Cryoablation around the pulmonary venous ( PV ) ostia for AF therapy is potentially safer compared to radiofrequency ablation ( RFA ) . The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a strategy using a large cryoablation balloon to perform antral cryoablation with ‘ touch-up ’ ostial cryoablation for PVI in patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF . Methods Paroxysmal and persistent AF patients undergoing their first left atrial ablation were recruited . After cryoballoon therapy , each PV was assessed for isolation and if necessary , treated with focal ostial cryoablation until PVI was achieved . Follow-up with Holter monitoring was performed . Clinical outcomes of the cryoablation protocol were compared , with consecutive patients undergoing PVI by RFA . Results 124 consecutive patients underwent cryoablation . 77 % of paroxysmal and 48 % of persistent AF subjects were free from AF at 12 months after a single procedure . Over the same time period , 53 consecutive paroxysmal AF subjects underwent PVI with RFA and at 12 months , 72 % were free from AF at 12 months ( p = NS ) . There were too few persistent AF subjects ( n=8 ) undergoing solely PVI by RFA as a comparison group . Procedural and fluoroscopic times during cryoablation were significantly shorter than RFA . Conclusions PV isolation can be achieved in less than 2 h by a simple cryoablation protocol with excellent results after a single intervention , particularly for paroxysmal AF
Conclusion In patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation  , cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablation produce similar results in terms of freedom from recurrent atrial fibrillation or atrial tachyarrhythmias but with a different safety profile , being cryoballoon ablation less associated with cardiac complications but more likely to cause phrenic nerve palsy
Aims To perform an up date d meta- analysis to assess efficacy , safety and technical performance of pulmonary vein isolation using cryoballoon or radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation .