Risks of malignancy for children undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are low, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Authors of the study, Dr. William T. Mahle and colleagues from Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, were working under an assumption that children undergoing RFA faced increased risk of developing malignancy caused by the radiation.

Dr. Mahle and colleagues had previously reported a strategy to reduce radiation exposure during pediatric RFA.

During the recent study, the researchers reported radiation exposures and calculated malignancy risks in 18 children between the ages of 9 to 17. All of the children underwent RFA during a 3-year period. Researchers calculated that the overall lifetime risk of fatal malignancy was 0.02% per single RFA procedure.

The study suggests a single radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure in children results in a minimal malignancy risk when appropriate measures are taken to reduce radiation exposure.