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