Use of intracardiac ultrasound to guide balloon catheter cryoablation of the left atrial-pulmonary venous junction: Determinants of ablation efficacy

Abstract

Background: Cryothermy is attractive for use in AF ablation because of its favorable safety profile, but the “heat load” associated with PV blood flow makes traditional catheter designs less effective. A balloon cryoablation catheter (BC) placed at the PV ostia may circumvent this limitation since 1) circumferential contact may be maximized and 2) the negative thermal effects of ambient blood flow may be attenuated. This study evaluates these concepts using a BC prototype in early clinical experience using intracardiac ultrasound (ICE) to guide balloon positioning.