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©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Aug 26, 2013; 5(8): 280-287
Published online Aug 26, 2013. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v5.i8.280
Published online Aug 26, 2013. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v5.i8.280
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: Radiofrequency catheter ablation for redo procedures after cryoablation
Klaus Kettering, Felix Gramley, Department of Cardiology, University of Frankfurt, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany
Author contributions: Both authors have contributed significantly to this manuscript. They have made substantial contributions to the design of the study, to the acquisition of data and to the interpretation of the results. They have revised the manuscript critically for its scientific content. Both authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Klaus Kettering, MD, Department of Cardiology, University of Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany. klaus.kettering@t-online.de
Telephone: +49-69-63017273 Fax: +49-69-63016457
Received: February 25, 2013
Revised: June 20, 2013
Accepted: July 18, 2013
Published online: August 26, 2013
Revised: June 20, 2013
Accepted: July 18, 2013
Published online: August 26, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: Cryoablation has been shown to be a safe technique for pulmonary vein isolation. However, the arrhythmia recurrence rate is high. Therefore, we have summarized our initial experience with two different strategies for redo procedures using radiofrequency catheter ablation. Thirty patients had to undergo a redo procedure after initially successful circumferential pulmonary vein isolation with the cryoballoon technique. The redo ablation procedures were performed using a segmental approach or a circumferential ablation strategy depending on the intra-procedural findings. All recovered pulmonary veins could be isolated successfully again. At 2-year follow-up, 73.3% of all patients were free from an arrhythmia recurrence.