[Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation]

Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation becomes part of the complex therapy of this very frequent arrhythmia. It is based on the fragmentation of atria with formation of segments and channels, which prevent development of reentry phenomenon. Contemporary methods are aimed on the power of the left ventricle, namely on the pulmonary veins' orifice with the shift to less invasive techniques. At our clinic, method of linear cryoablation has been used for 26 patients (between May 2003 and October 2004). For the evaluation of results is the follow up period too short and the cohort too small, however, results are encouraging and worth of publication.