Cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation is associated with a 3-11% risk of phrenic nerve palsy, a complication rarely seen with radiofrequency ablation.
May signal atypical PNP risk during CBA; leaves open need for prospective monitoring studies.
Cryoballoons have proven to be effective for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). The efficacy and safety of cryoablation are similar to those of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), but the procedure time is shorter [1-3]. The most common complication associated with cryoballoon ablation (CBA) is phrenic nerve palsy (PNP) with hemidiaphragmatic paralysis, occurring in 3-11% of clinical procedures[3-5]. In contrast, phrenic nerve injury (PNI) is rarely reported as a complication during radiofrequency ablation (RFA), especially when a wide area circumferential ablation is employed [3].
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Huang et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: