Acute and long-term outcome of cryoablation therapy of typical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cryoablation in a large series of patients with typical (slow-fast) atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT).


RESULTS
Between 2003 and 2007, 312 patients with typical AVNRT--median age of 53 years (range 10-92), 200 women (64%)--underwent cryoablation, using exclusively a 6 mm tip catheter tip. Acute success was achieved in 309 of 312 patients (99%). The overall recurrence rate was 18 of 309 (5.8%) during a mean follow-up of 673 +/- 381 days. Sixteen of these patients (89%) were successfully reablated. The recurrence rate was 9% in patients with residual dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal pathway post-ablation compared with 4% in those with complete elimination of slow pathway conduction (P = 0.05). No patient developed permanent AV block.


CONCLUSIONS
Cryoablation of AVNRT can be achieved with a high acute success rate and a reasonable recurrence rate at long-term follow-up. Complete abolition of slow pathway conduction seems to predict better late outcome.
Bastani
Hamid
H
Department of Cardiology at the Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, S-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden. hamid.bastani@karolinska.se
Schwieler
Jonas
J
Insulander
Per
P
Tabrizi
Fariborz
F
Braunschweig
Frieder
F
Kennebäck
Göran
G
Drca
Nikola
N
Sadigh
Bita
B
Jensen-Urstad
Mats
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult