Cryoablation for refractory ventricular dysrhythmias

Several of the surgical ablative techniques currently used to treat patients with medically refractory ventricular dysrhythmias are performed in combination with cryosurgery. By inducing hypothermic injury, cryosurgery destroys the muscle responsible for the ventricular ectopy without disrupting the structural integrity of the heart. The use of this procedure in treating these patients, however, without adjunctive surgical techniques is uncommon. This case study describes the successful use of cryosurgery without concomitant surgical ablative techniques.