Cryotherapy

the equipment 


Cryotherapy, also called cryosurgery, cryoablation or targeted cryoablation therapy, is a minimally invasive treatment that uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy diseased tissue, including cancer cells. 
During cryotherapy, liquid nitrogen or argon gas flows into a needle-like applicator (a cryoprobe) creating intense cold that is placed in contact to diseased tissue. Physicians use image-guidance techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography(CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) to help guide the cryoprobes to treatment sites located inside the body.
     What should you do?
  • Avoid blood thinning medications for the recommended period of time before the treatment.
  • Report to your doctor all medications that you are taking, including herbal supplements, and if you have any allergies, especially to local anesthetic medications, general anesthesia or to contrast materials containing iodine.  
  • If you are pregnant or  if there is any possibility that they are pregnant, inform your physician and x-ray technologist. This is because many imaging tests are not performed during pregnancy so as not to expose the fetus to radiation. 


Pros and Cons


Pros :
  • It is less traumatic than open surgery since only a small incision is needed to pass the probe through the skin, which limits damage to healthy tissue. 
  • It is less costly and results in fewer side effects than open surgery. A patient usually can resume activities of daily living 24 hours after the procedure, if not sooner. However, caution about heavy lifting may extend for several days after abdominal treatment.
  • Eliminates the need for surgery.

Cons :
  • The lung may collapse.
  • Healthy cells and tissue maybe permanently damaged.
  • Nerve damage may result. Completely frozen nerves can cause motor weakness or numbness in the area supplied by the nerves.



To read an article adapted from the Internet, click here.


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