SynthesisPloS one2014
Is cryoballoon ablation preferable to radiofrequency ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation by pulmonary vein isolation? A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cryoballoon versus radiofrequency ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2018Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of the second-generation cryoballoons versus radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing · 2017Pooled it
- Trial
- Preliminary Results of the Efficacy and Safety of Cryoablation for Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: a Study From Vietnam.Materia socio-medica · 2025Article
- Article
- Pulmonary vein remodeling following pulmonary vein isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation-do pulmonary veins represent only an epiphenomenon? A cardiac MRI study.Cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy · 2019Article
- Balloon Cryoablation for the Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2017Article
- Outcomes after cryoballoon or radiofrequency ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation: a multicentric propensity-score matched study.Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing · 2016Article
- Recent Advances in Lesion Formation for Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.Circulation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology · 2016Review
- Atrial fibrillation ablation in the era of cryoballoon and force-sensing catheters: freeze or burn?Current treatment options in cardiovascular medicine · 2015Article
- [Advances in cryoballoon technology: benefits and risks in daily practice].Herzschrittmachertherapie & Elektrophysiologie · 2014Review
- Cryoballoon versus Radiofrequency Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-analysis of 16 Clinical Trials.Journal of atrial fibrillationArticle
- Outcomes Of Cryoballoon Ablation Of Atrial Fibrillation: A Comprehensive Review.Journal of atrial fibrillationReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveCurrently radiofrequency and cryoballoon ablations are the two standard ablation systems used for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation; however, there is no universal consensus on which ablation is the optimal choice. We therefore sought to undertake a meta-analysis with special emphases on comparing the efficacy and safety between cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablations by synthesizing published clinical trials. METHODS AND
resultsArticles were identified by searching the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases before September 2013, by reviewing the bibliographies of eligible reports, and by consulting with experts in this field. Data were extracted independently and in duplicate. There were respectively 469 and 635 patients referred for cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablations from 14 qualified clinical trials. Overall analyses indicated that cryoballoon ablation significantly reduced fluoroscopic time and total procedure time by a weighted mean of 14.13 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.82 to 25.45; P = 0.014) minutes and 29.65 (95% CI: 8.54 to 50.77; P = 0.006) minutes compared with radiofrequency ablation, respectively, whereas ablation time in cryoballoon ablation was nonsignificantly elongated by a weighted mean of 11.66 (95% CI: -10.71 to 34.04; P = 0.307) minutes. Patients referred for cryoballoon ablation had a high yet nonsignificant success rate of catheter ablation compared with cryoballoon ablation (odds ratio; 95% CI; P: 1.34; 0.53 to 3.36; 0.538), and cryoballoon ablation was also found to be associated with the relatively low risk of having recurrent atrial fibrillation (0.75; 0.3 to 1.88; 0.538) and major complications (0.46; 0.11 to 1.83; 0.269). There was strong evidence of heterogeneity and low probability of publication bias.
conclusionOur findings demonstrate greater improvement in fluoroscopic time and total procedure duration for atrial fibrillation patients referred for cryoballoon ablation than those for radiofrequency ablation.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.