Catheter Cryoablation for Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia
Ngai-Yin Chan MBBS, FRCP, FACC, FHRS
Head, Cardiac Pacing Service and Head, Cardiac Rehabilitation Service, Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong, China
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In recent years, data have accumulated in the use of catheter cryoablation (CRYO) as an alternative curative treatment for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). This chapter discusses the contemporary incidence of inadvertent atrioventricular block (AVB) complicating radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for AVNRT. It deals with the advantages of CRYO over RFCA in the treatment of AVNRT, and the strategies to reduce the recurrence rate for patients with AVNRT treated by CRYO. The chapter talks about the procedural techniques of cryoablation such as electrophysiology study, target sites for cryoablation, cryomapping, and cryoablation protocol for AVNRT. Other advantages of CRYO include less patient pain perception, less operator stress, and decrease in fluoroscopic exposure. The current challenge of CRYO is the high recurrence rate.
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