Catheter Ablation › AVNRT · 2006–2026

Catheter Ablation (AVNRT)Results over 20 years, to 2026

Results of catheter ablation for AVNRT (atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia) in our department from 2006 to 2026. AVNRT is a tachycardia in which electricity circles around the AV node (the electrical pathway connecting the atria and ventricles). Results are shown separately for typical and atypical AVNRT, and by energy source (radiofrequency and cryo).

Summary

Procedures

332

295 patients

Success rate

94.9%

315 successful of 332

Recurrence rate

12.7%

42 recurrences of 332

Procedures using cryo

110

cryo alone 98, both 12

Typical and atypical AVNRT

We divided AVNRT into the most common typical form and all other, atypical forms.

ProceduresAll 332 procedures

332

Typical62%205
Atypical38%127

Results by typeAll procedures (including repeat procedures)

Type	Proc.	Patients	Success %	Recur. %
Typical	205	187	99.0	10.2
Atypical	127	111	88.2	16.5

Success and recurrence

Typical: success rateof 205 procedures

99.0%

Success203
Other2

Atypical: success rateof 127 procedures

88.2%

Success112
Other15

Typical: recurrence rateof 205 procedures

10.2%

Recurrence21
No recurrence184

Atypical: recurrence rateof 127 procedures

16.5%

Recurrence21
No recurrence106

The success rate was 99.0% for typical AVNRT and 88.2% for atypical AVNRT.

Radiofrequency and cryoablation

Radiofrequency (RF) treats with heat and cryoablation (cryo) by freezing. Cryo is considered less likely to damage the AV node, and we have used it since 2016. "Both" means both were used in one procedure.

Typical205 procedures

205

Radiofrequency64%131
Cryo33%67
Both3%7

Atypical127 procedures

127

Radiofrequency72%91
Cryo24%31
Both4%5

By period

Radiofrequency
Cryo
Both

2006–2012
100
2013–2018
6529
2019–2026
5769

Recurrence in first procedures (radiofrequency vs. cryo)

We compared recurrence rates for radiofrequency and cryo only in each patient's first AVNRT procedure (280 procedures). Repeat procedures were excluded.

Radiofrequency (RF)
Cryo

Recurrence rate (%)

Hover over a bar (tap on a phone) to see the numbers of recurrences and procedures.

Type / energy	Procedures	Success (%)	Recurrences	Recurrence (%)
Typical radiofrequency	109	100.0	10	9.2
Typical cryo	62	100.0	6	9.7
Typical both	7	85.7	0	0.0
Atypical radiofrequency	74	91.9	9	12.2
Atypical cryo	25	80.0	7	28.0
Atypical both	3	66.7	0	0.0

"Both" is not shown in the chart because there were few procedures. In small groups, a difference of one or two procedures changes the rate a lot.

Tables (all procedures)

Type / energy	Procedures	Successful	Success (%)	Recurrences	Recurrence (%)
Typical radiofrequency	131	131	100.0	13	9.9
Typical cryo	67	66	98.5	8	11.9
Typical both	7	6	85.7	0	0.0
Atypical radiofrequency	91	84	92.3	12	13.2
Atypical cryo	31	25	80.6	8	25.8
Atypical both	5	3	60.0	1	20.0

Methods: from our department's ablation database, we counted all 332 records (295 patients) in which ablation (energy delivery) was performed for AVNRT between January 1, 2006 and September 26, 2026. Repeat procedures in the same patient were each counted as one procedure (except in the comparison of first procedures). Records in which AVNRT was treated together with other arrhythmias such as WPW are included (25 with WPW, among others). Typical means only the typical form was recorded; atypical means another form was recorded. Recurrence is the number recorded as recurrence in the database (the length of follow-up was not standardized).