II. Definitions
- Cryotherapy (Cryosurgery)
- Directed tissue destruction via the application of freezing Temperatures
III. Indications: Cryotherapy (Cryosurgery)
- See Margin sizes below under technique
- Short freeze times (5 seconds after freeze ball forms)
- Moderate freeze times (10 seconds after freeze ball)
- Common Wart
- Cherry Angioma (consider cryoprobe)
- Cutaneous horn
- Oral Mucocele (consider cryoprobe)
- Pyogenic Granuloma
- Sebaceous Hyperplasia (consider cryoprobe)
- Longer freeze times (20 seconds after freeze ball)
- Very long freeze times (30 seconds after freeze ball with 5 mm margin)
IV. Contraindications: Cryotherapy (Cryosurgery)
- Immunosuppression
- Agammaglobulinemia
- Cryoglobulinemia
- Multiple Myeloma and idiopathic blood dyscrasias
- Pyoderma Gangrenosum
- Cold Urticaria
- Bullous Conditions
-
Exercise caution
- Patients with dark skin
- Lesions on bony prominences
- Anticoagulant Use
- Avoid use in distal extremities in high-risk patients
- Cancerous skin lesions not amenable to Cryotherapy
- Melanoma (excision required in all cases)
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma that is not well differentiated
- Basal Cell Carcinoma that is not nodular or superficial type
- Morpheaform
- Sclerosing
- Infiltrating
- Micronodular
- Metatypical
- High risk skin sites
- Nose or nasolabial folds
- Ear
- Chin
- Temple
- Lesion deeper than 3mm or of diameter >2 cm
- Recurrent lesions
- Ulcerated lesions
- Lesions fixed to deeper structures
- Poorly demarcated lesion or lesions fixed to underlying tissue
V. Mechanism
- Liquid Nitrogen boils at -196 C (-320 F)
- CryoSpray and CryoProbe: Skin Temperature down to -25 to -50 C (-13 to -58 F) at 30 secs
- Benign lesions destroyed at -20 to -30 C (-4 to -22 F)
- Malignant lesions destroyed at -40 to -50 C (-40 to -58 F)
- Cotton or Synthetic Applicator: Skin Temperature does not reach the same degree of freeze as CryoSpray or CryoProbe
- Temperature reached is not sufficient for malignant lesions
- Temperature is sufficient for benign lesions
- Skin lesion destruction
- Results from intracellular ice formation, osmolarity changes and localized vascular stasis
- Inflammation occurs within 24 hours of Cryotherapy
- Tissue injury is greater with technique
- Rapid freezing and slowly thawing
- Repeat freeze-thaw cycles
VI. Preparation: Storage of Liquid Nitrogen
- Store Liquid Nitrogen in proper container (e.g. Dewar)
- Prevents serious explosion
- Container should allow some leakage/evaporation
- Storage vessel should be metal lined (Not glass)
- Do NOT pour Liquid Nitrogen back into Dewar after use
- May contaminate main supply
- HPV, HSV, and Hepatitis viable for years at -196 C
- Static Holding time in a standard Dewar
- Volume 5L: 6 days
- Volume 10L: 45 days
- Volume 25L: 110 days
- Volume 35L: 110 days
- Volume 45L: 125 days
VII. Adverse Effects
- Initial
- Blistering
- Bleeding
- Pain
- Later
- Hypopigmentation (Melanocytes are very cold sensitive)
- Hyperpigmentation (esp. in darker skinned individuals)
- Atrophy in skin areas directly over bone (eg. forehead)
- Neuropathy where nerves are superficial (e.g. elbow)
- Paresthesias may persist up to 3 months
- Uncommon
VIII. Precautions
- See contraindications above
- Test on only a few lesions at first
- Avoid use in young children, especially under age 7 years old (too painful)
- Exercise caution in elderly
- Exercise caution near bony prominences
- Avoid in periungual sites
- Excessive pain
- Risk of subungual Hemorrhage
- Risk of Nail Dystrophy from matrix destruction
- Use cautiously near superficial nerves
- Especially
- Distal sides of the fingertips
- Temples (lateral canthus to sideburns)
- Risk of nerve injury
- Move skin frequently while applying Cryotherapy
- Reduces deeper freezing
- Especially
IX. Anesthesia
- Consider EMLA 90 minutes before treatment
- Tylenol beforehand also effective
X. Technique
- Debulking prior to Cryotherapy
- Carefully pare wart with #15 blade or double edge razor blade
- Increases chance of success
- If bleeding occurs, carefully apply 88% TCA
- Isolate lesion
- Lifting and pinching lesion between gloved fingers
- Reduces pain and increases response
- Consider using plastic otoscope nasal speculum tip
- Hold over the lesion
- Localizes Cryotherapy without spread
- Open cone shield
- Specific to direct Cryotherapy
- Used in similar fashion to otoscope tip
- Lifting and pinching lesion between gloved fingers
- Apply Liquid Nitrogen
- Margin sizes
- Benign lesion: 1-2 mm margin
- Premalignancy: 2-3 mm margin
- Malignancy: 4-5 mm margin
- Not typically recommended for malignancy without prior biopsy
- Cotton or Synthetic Applicator (Dipstick technique)
- Sufficient for non-malignant lesions such as warts, molluscum, Actinic Keratoses, Lentigo simplex
- Not sufficient for malignant lesions (lesions require a lower Temperature, see above)
- Warn about burning pain (lasts 15-30 minutes)
- Bulk up cotton applicator with added cotton wisps
- Shape or twirl cotton tip to size of wart
- Touch cotton tip to wart without pressure
- Allow gravity to feed the Liquid Nitrogen
- Allow ice ball to extend 1-2mm beyond wart margin
- Achieved in 15-45 seconds
- Freeze, Allow to Slowly Thaw, and then refreeze
- Sufficient for non-malignant lesions such as warts, molluscum, Actinic Keratoses, Lentigo simplex
- Cryospray unit (Spray gun)
- Precautions
- Spray unit freezes tissue more rapidly, deeply
- Avoid use near eyes, nose or lips
- Uncomfortable for patient
- Use cotton applicator here instead
- When using spray near ear canals
- Plug Ear canals with cotton
- Technique
- Isolate lesion with techniques above
- Hold spray tip 1-2 cm from target
- Squeeze trigger gently or in brief pulses
- Use paintbrush, spiral or rotary technique
- Timed spot freeze technique most common
- Consider marking desired margin around lesion
- See above for recommended margin size
- Spray to form margin around lesion
- Divide lesion into segments if >2 cm
- Maintain constant spray pressure
- Keep target frozen for adequate time
- Freeze duration may range from 5-30 seconds depending on lesion (see above)
- Allow lesion to thaw completely (2-5 minutes)
- Repeat freeze-thaw cycle as needed
- Consider marking desired margin around lesion
- Cryoblast Technique
- Indicated in thick, hyperkeratotic lesions (e.g. Plantar Wart)
- Standard spray tip is removed from spray gun and freeze is applied in 1-2 second pulses
- Continue until intended ice ball is created
- Canpolat (2008) Eur J Dermatol 18(3): 341-2 [PubMed]
- Precautions
- Cryoprobe
- Small metal probe attached as accessory to spray gun nozzle
- Apply gel medium to skin
- Cooled metal is applied directly to skin lesions (with gel between metal and skin)
- Indications
- Small facial lesions
- Vascular lesions
- Small metal probe attached as accessory to spray gun nozzle
- Margin sizes
XI. Management: Follow-up Care
- Antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin) and dressing
- Anticipatory Guidance
- Re-evaluation in 2-3 weeks
XII. Efficacy
- For Plantar Warts, Cryotherapy was no more effective than home therapy with pumice stone and salicylic acid
- Studies showing efficacy compared with Placebo lacking
- More aggressive Cryotherapy appears more effective
- However, higher risk for complications
- References
XIII. Resources
- Cryosurgery (Dr. Ursatine)
XIV. References
- Hocutt in Pfenninger (1994) Procedures, p. 102-20
- Andrews (2004) Am Fam Physician 69:2365-72 [PubMed]
- Clebak (2020) Am Fam Physician 101(7): 399-406 [PubMed]
- Zimmerman (2012) Am Fam Physician 86(12): 1118-24 [PubMed]
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| Definition (NCI) | The use of extreme cold to damage or destroy a body part, pathway, or function. The procedure is performed using small cryogenic probes during surgery, and has recently been applied to solitary sporadic renal tumor lesions. |
| Definition (NCI_CDISC) | Removal, separation, detachment, extirpation or eradication of a body part, pathway or function by freezing. (NCI) |
| Definition (NCI_NCI-GLOSS) | A procedure in which tissue is frozen to destroy abnormal cells. Liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide is used to freeze the tissue. |
| Definition (MSH) | The use of freezing as a special surgical technique to destroy or excise tissue. |
| Definition (CSP) | destruction of tissue by the application of extreme cold, used in some forms of intracranial and cutaneous surgery. |
| Concepts | Therapeutic or Preventive Procedure (T061) |
| MSH | D003452 |
| SnomedCT | 427357007, 5269003, 281698007, 281609006, 129393004 |
| English | Cryosurgeries, Cryosurgery, Cryoablation, Cryoablations, CRYOSURG, Cryosurgery (procedure), cryosurgeries, cryoablation, cryocautery, cryosurgery procedure, cryotherapy, cryodestruction, Destruction of lesion or structure by cold application, cryosurgery (treatment), cryosurgery, CRYOABLATION, cryosurgical ablation, Cryocautery, Cryodestruction, Cryoablation - action, Cryocautery - action, Cryosurgery - action, Cryoablation - action (qualifier value), Cryocautery - action (qualifier value), Cryosurgery - action (qualifier value), Cryosurgery, NOS, Cryocautery, NOS |
| Spanish | criocirugía - acción, Criocirugía, criocirugía, criocirugía (procedimiento), destrucción de una lesión o estructura mediante aplicación de frío, criocauterización, crioablación - acción (calificador), crioablación - acción, criocauterización - acción (calificador), criocauterización - acción, criocirugía (acción), criocirugía - acción (calificador), Criocirugia, Crioablación |
| Dutch | cryochirurgie, Cryoablatio, Cryochirurgie |
| German | Cryo-Operation, Kryoablation, Kryochirurgie, Kältechirurgie |
| Japanese | 冷凍手術, ﾚｲﾄｳｼｭｼﾞｭﾂ |
| Swedish | Fryskirurgi |
| Czech | kryochirurgie, Kryochirurgie |
| Finnish | Kryokirurgia |
| French | Cryoablation, Cryochirurgie |
| Russian | KRIOAMPUTATSIIA, KRIOKHIRURGIIA, КРИОАМПУТАЦИЯ, КРИОХИРУРГИЯ |
| Italian | Crioablazione, Criochirurgia |
| Croatian | KRIOKIRURGIJA |
| Polish | Kriochirurgia, Krioablacja |
| Hungarian | Kriosebészet |
| Norwegian | Kryokirurgi, Cryokirurgi |
| Portuguese | Crioablação, Criocirurgia |
Ontology: Cold Therapy (C0010412)
| Definition (NCI) | The application of cold to appropriate painful areas to reduce inflammation immediately after an injury. |
| Definition (NCI_NCI-GLOSS) | Any method that uses cold temperature to treat disease. |
| Definition (NCI_CDISC) | The therapeutic use of cold or refrigeration. |
| Definition (NCI) | The therapeutic use of cold or refrigeration in medicine. |
| Definition (CSP) | form of therapy consisting of the local or general use of cold. |
| Definition (MSH) | A form of therapy consisting in the local or general use of cold. The selective destruction of tissue by extreme cold or freezing is CRYOSURGERY. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) |
| Concepts | Therapeutic or Preventive Procedure (T061) |
| MSH | D017679 |
| ICD10 | 13606-00 |
| SnomedCT | 150897000, 150902004, 180418006, 182665001, 26782000, 257786008, 182660006 |
| English | Cryotherapies, Cryotherapy, Therapy, Cold, Cold Therapy, Cold Therapies, Therapies, Cold, Therapy by cooling NOS, THER COLD, CRYOTHER, COLD THER, Cryother - physiotherapeutic, cryosurgery, cryotherapy (treatment), cryotherapy, dermatological cryotherapy, Cryotherapy NOS, cold therapy, cold temperature therapy, cold therapies, Therapy by cooling NOS (procedure), Cold therapy (procedure), CRYOTHERAPY, Therapeutic application of cold, Cold therapy, Cooling therapy, Therapy by cooling, Cryotherapy - action, Cryotherapy - physiotherapeutic, Cold therapy (regime/therapy), Cryotherapy (procedure), Cryotherapy - action (qualifier value), Cryotherapy, NOS, Therapeutic Cold, Cold |
| Dutch | cryotherapie NAO, cryotherapie, Cryotherapie, Koudetherapie, Therapie, cryo- |
| French | Cryothérapie SAI, Thérapie par le froid, Cryothérapie |
| German | Kryotherapie NNB, Kryotherapie, Hypothermietherapie |
| Italian | Crioterapia NAS, Terapia del freddo, Crioterapia |
| Portuguese | Crioterapia NE, Terapia a Frio, Crioterapia, Terapia por Frio |
| Spanish | Crioterapia NEOM, Terapia por Frío, terapia por enfriamiento, SAI, terapia por enfriamiento, SAI (procedimiento), Therapy by cooling NOS, crioterapia, aplicación terapéutica de frío, crioterapia (procedimiento), crioterapia (régimen/tratamiento), crioterapia - acción (calificador), crioterapia - acción, crioterapia, SAI, Crioterapia |
| Swedish | Kryoterapi |
| Czech | terapie chladem, kryoterapie, Kryoterapie NOS, Kryoterapie |
| Finnish | Kylmähoito |
| Russian | KHOLODOVAIA TERAPIIA, KRIOTERAPIIA, КРИОТЕРАПИЯ, ХОЛОДОВАЯ ТЕРАПИЯ |
| Japanese | 凍結療法, 凍結療法ＮＯＳ, ﾄｳｹﾂﾘｮｳﾎｳ, ﾄｳｹﾂﾘｮｳﾎｳNOS, 凍結外科, 冷凍外科学, 冷凍外科, 凍結手術, 寒冷剥離, 冷凍アブレーション, 冷凍外科療法, 寒冷療法, 凍結外科学 |
| Croatian | Not Translated[Cryotherapy] |
| Polish | Krioterapia, Leczenie zimnem |
| Hungarian | Krioterápia k.m.n., Krioterápia |
| Norwegian | Kryoterapi, Kuldebehandling, Kuldeterapi |
Ontology: Liquid nitrogen (C0260055)
| Definition (NCI) | Nitrogen in a liquid state, having been super-cooled to about -200 degrees Celsius. |
| Concepts | Element, Ion, or Isotope (T196) |
| SnomedCT | 52793004 |
| English | Liquid Nitrogen, liquid nitrogen, nitrogen liquid, LN - Liquid nitrogen, Liquid nitrogen (substance), Liquid nitrogen |
| Spanish | nitrógeno líquido (sustancia), nitrógeno líquido |
