CATHETERAL CRYOABLACTION IN TREATMENT OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION. OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS
Medical therapy of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in the population in general, has a very modest efficacy in controlling symptoms and restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm. Since 1998 when it was found out that AF trigger zones are in most cases located in pulmonary veins, electrical isolation of all pulmonary veins became a cornerstone of ablation technics in patients with symptomatic AF. However, due to the elaborate and tiresome technique of the traditional point-by-point method with radiofrequency ablation guided by electroanatomical mapping, more modern and universal techniques, such as cryoballoon ablation, began to develop progressively. Cryoballoon pulmonary veins isolation appears to be the most promising and effective approach, and in this review we are presenting all available relevant data from the literature and our own experience.