Objective To compare the long-term efficacy of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and cryoballoon ablation (CBA) in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation.

Methods A total of 124 patients with atrial fibrillation were selected, and were divided into radiofrequency group (n=55) and cryotherapy group (n=69) according to different treatments. Recurrence of atrial fibrillation and long-term efficacy during long-term follow-up were compared between the two groups.

Results During the study, 11 patients were lost in postoperative follow up, including 7 cases in the radiofrequency group and 4 cases in the cryotherapy group. During the postoperative follow-up, 26 patients (54.17%) in the radiofrequency group and 35 patients (53.85%) in the cryotherapy group had recurrence of atrial fibrillation, and there was no significant difference in the recurrence of atrial fibrillation between the two groups (P>0.05). The number of recurrent cases with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (ParAF) were 21 and 28 respectively in the radiofrequency group and the cryotherapy group, the number of recurrent cases with persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF) were 5 and 7 respectively, and there were no significant differences between two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in survival curve between the two groups (P>0.05).

Conclusion There is no significant difference in the long-term efficacy between RFCA and CBA in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. The recurrence rate of patients with PerAF is higher than that of patients with ParAF, and the long-term recurrence rate needs to be further reduced.