Balloon Cryoablation for the Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) aiming at the electrical isolation of the pulmonary vein (PV) is more effective in controlling the rhythm than drugs, especially in young individuals with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) without structural heart disease.1-3 Electrical isolation is performed with point-by-point RFA around the PV, constituting a complex and lengthy procedure.2,3 Recently, technologies have been developed aiming to simplify PV isolation, among them the balloon cryoablation.2,4 In this approach, the cryoballoon is inflated in the PV ostium in order to completely occlude it. The release of cryoenergy cools the balloon surface, having the potential to isolate the vein with a single application. The efficacy and safety of cryoablation are similar to RFA, but the procedure is faster.4-7 Although used worldwide,2-4 only recently cryoablation was made available in Brazil. The objective of this study was to report the first three cases performed in our country using this technology.