Wednesday, 4 January 2012
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Generally, cryosurgery is not a new field. The concept of using cold in the destruction of tissues can be traced back as early as mid 19th century. While open surgery is the treatment of preference by most physicians, nowadays cryosurgery is being widely practiced around the globe.
This minimally invasive method involves the percutaneous insertion of a cryoprobe in contact with an undesired tissue. Inside the probe, is cooling fluid called a refrigerant (commonly liquid nitrogen) is being circulated cooling the surrounding tissues and subsequently freezing the cells. The doctor uses an ultrasound or MRI to guide the probe through tissues and monitor the freezing of cells. As temperature falls, ice crystals may begin to form within the cells until cellular death is inevitable. The tissue is left in a frozen state for a while then thawed for a few minutes and repeatedly going through the cycle again. Damage occurs as blood vessels supplying the diseased tissue freeze causing congestion and eventual destruction. For larger tumors, it requires around 2-3 sessions of the procedure. The tumor may be left as a scar inside the body cavity, or if causing obstruction it may be excised using traditional surgery.
The effect is localized; as such adverse effects may also be localized and less severe than those associated with conventional therapy or surgery. However, they vary depending on the affected organ. The lungs for example, may suffer from pneumothorax or air inside the pleural spaces that may cause the lung to collapse.
The main advantage of this kind of procedure is that it is less invasive hence, post-operative complications such as pain and bleeding are minimized. It can also be used for the elderly, or patients with medical conditions that will not allow them to undergo conventional open surgery. There are also lesser chances of destroying healthy tissues in nearby areas. Furthermore, for cases with microscopic cancer spread the procedure may be combined with conventional means such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Currently, cryosurgery is used to treat several kinds of cancer such as cancer of the lungs, liver, ovaries, uterus, breast, pancreas, prostate, kidneys, skin, and retinoblastoma.
Understanding cryosurgery
This minimally invasive method involves the percutaneous insertion of a cryoprobe in contact with an undesired tissue. Inside the probe, is cooling fluid called a refrigerant (commonly liquid nitrogen) is being circulated cooling the surrounding tissues and subsequently freezing the cells. The doctor uses an ultrasound or MRI to guide the probe through tissues and monitor the freezing of cells. As temperature falls, ice crystals may begin to form within the cells until cellular death is inevitable. The tissue is left in a frozen state for a while then thawed for a few minutes and repeatedly going through the cycle again. Damage occurs as blood vessels supplying the diseased tissue freeze causing congestion and eventual destruction. For larger tumors, it requires around 2-3 sessions of the procedure. The tumor may be left as a scar inside the body cavity, or if causing obstruction it may be excised using traditional surgery.
The effect is localized; as such adverse effects may also be localized and less severe than those associated with conventional therapy or surgery. However, they vary depending on the affected organ. The lungs for example, may suffer from pneumothorax or air inside the pleural spaces that may cause the lung to collapse.
The main advantage of this kind of procedure is that it is less invasive hence, post-operative complications such as pain and bleeding are minimized. It can also be used for the elderly, or patients with medical conditions that will not allow them to undergo conventional open surgery. There are also lesser chances of destroying healthy tissues in nearby areas. Furthermore, for cases with microscopic cancer spread the procedure may be combined with conventional means such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Currently, cryosurgery is used to treat several kinds of cancer such as cancer of the lungs, liver, ovaries, uterus, breast, pancreas, prostate, kidneys, skin, and retinoblastoma.
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