CBA of the LA roof
Although the efficacy of PVI for AF treatment is well known, knowledge
regarding clinical outcomes after catheter ablation is limited,
especially in patients with non-paroxysmal AF.13 CBA
is generally performed to achieve PVI; nevertheless, the isolated area
may be smaller after PVI with a cryoballoon than the area achieved via
the conventional method using an RF catheter.14 As a
broader area may contribute to better clinical
outcomes,15 linear ablation with a cryoballoon may in
turn help to overcome this possible limitation after CBA for PVI.
Several studies have demonstrated that CBA of the LA roof can be
performed without any remarkable problems.2,16 In
contrast to LA roof line ablation performed using an RF catheter, CBA of
the LA roof provides a wider effective area. In accordance with our
findings, a previous report16 noted that the mean
isolated area of the LAPW was 68.8%. The arrhythmia recurrence-free
rate (77.4%) reported herein is reasonable; additionally, the decrease
in serum BNP levels after ablation is favorable, and the results
regarding A-wave velocity after ablation seem comparable to previous
findings.17