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.