title: Cryoballoon ablation of atrial fibrillation: state of the art 10 years after its invention.
abstract: The present review will discuss the technical aspects of a new patent invented in 1999 which allows cryoballoon ablation, an emerging technology used for the non pharmacological treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. A general evaluation of the safety and the reliability of the technique will be given together with an overview on its short and midterm outcome. Finally future directions of the technology and its possible implementation will be briefly treated.
authors.affiliation: Heart Rhythm Management Centre, UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium. sorgente.antonio@gmail.com
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorgente
authors.forename: Gian Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Chierchia
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Asmundis
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capulzini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarkozy
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brugada
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome