Mechanism of Action Liquid nitrogen, which boils at −196°C (−320.8°F), is the most effective cryogen for clinical use. It is particularly useful in the treatment of malignant lesions. Temperatures of −25°C to −50°C (−13°F to −58°F) can be achieved within 30 seconds if a sufficient amount of liquid nitrogen is applied by spray or probe. Generally, destruction of benign lesions requires temperatu...

Cryosurgery is the destruction of undesired tissue by freezing. Modern cryosurgery is performed by strategically inserting a number of cooling probes (cryoprobes) shaped like long hypodermic needles into the target region. Minimally invasive cryosurgery presents unique challenges to the clinician associated with the use of ultrasound (US) as the imaging modality, the selection of the cryoprobe ...

OBJECTIVE To critically assess the evidence for long-term survival after hepatic resection and hepatic cryosurgery for metastatic colorectal cancer. The purpose of this review is to determine if a randomized controlled trial comparing these two treatment modalities is justified. DATA SOURCES A review of the medical literature from 1973 to 1995 using the MEDLINE and CANCERLIT databases. Refere...

Tissue damage that is associated with the loss of cell membrane integrity should alter the bulk electrical properties of the tissue. This study shows that electrical impedance tomography (EIT) should be able to detect and image necrotic tissue inside the body due to the permeabilization of the membrane to ions. Cryosurgery, a minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses freezing to destroy u...

* Corresponding author: rabin@cmu.edu Abstract As part of an ongoing effort to develop computerized planning tools for cryosurgery, the current study focuses on validating a numerical technique for bioheat transfer simulations. The long-term goal is to develop a planning tool for cryosurgery that takes a 3D reconstruction of a target region, and suggests the best cryoprobe layout. To make the p...