Methods
Search strategy and selection
This meta-analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting
Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. (12)
An ethical/institutional review board (IRB) approval for our systemic
review and meta-analysis was not required as we retrieved and
synthesized data from already published studies. Online databases such
as PubMed, Clinicaltrials.gov, Google Scholar, and Cochrane CENTRAL were
systematically searched from inception to June 20, 2022. No restrictions
on date, language, or publication type were applied. The following
combinations of MeSH terms were used using the Boolean Logic:
”Pulmonary vein isolation”, ”posterior wall isolation”, ”cryoballoon
ablation”, ”atrial fibrillation”. Previously published meta-analyses on
this topic were also cross-checked.