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Radiofrequency has been the main-stream energy source for catheter ablation of atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia.Although associated with a high procedural success rate and low recurrence rate, there is a 1-3% risk of atrioventricular block.Cryothermy is a new source of energy for catheter ablation of various cardiac arrhythmias.This energy source may be a safer alternative because of potential immunity from the complication of atrioventricular block.Unfortunately, there is a high recurrence rate of 7-20% with the use of 4mm-tip cryocatheter.The recurrence rate is still significantly higher than radiofrequency group (9 vs 1.3%) despite the use of a larger 6mm-tip cryocatheter.Clinical trial is ongoing in testing whether an 8mm-tip cryocatheter can achieve a comparably low recurrence rate as radiofrequency catheter.Unpublished data from a randomized control study showed that catheter cryoablation with a 6mm-tip catheter was significantly less painful than radiofrequency catheter ablation in treating atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia.Interestingly in the same study, catheter cryoablation also caused significantly less stress on the operators.