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Radiofrequency Versus Cryoablation

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Cardiac Bioelectric Therapy

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Abstract

The goal of radiofrequency (RF) and cryoablation is to permanently damage cardiac tissue that sustains an arrythmia via thermal injury. Under-ablating tissue will cause ineffective lesion formation and arrhythmia recurrence, while over-ablating can lead to serious life-threatening complications. In this chapter, we review lesion biophysics and the ability of clinical parameters to predict lesion formation. Over the last decade, significant technological advancement in both cryoballoon and RF ablation technology has caused the electrophysiology community to wonder about the relative merits of each technology. Here, we compare the clinical safety, efficacy, and cost of these two energy sources for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boston Scientific, Electrophysiology, Arden Hills, MN, USA

    Matthew S. Sulkin

  2. Iowa Heart Center, Des Moines, IA, USA

    Jason Meyers

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  1. Matthew S. Sulkin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Igor R. Efimov

  2. National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Fu Siong Ng

  3. Philips EPD Solutions, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Jacob I. Laughner

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Sulkin, M.S., Meyers, J. (2021). Radiofrequency Versus Cryoablation. In: Efimov, I.R., Ng, F.S., Laughner, J.I. (eds) Cardiac Bioelectric Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63355-4_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63355-4_20

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