Cryotherapy is the use of extreme cold to freeze and remove abnormal tissue.
Doctors use it to treat many skin conditions (including warts and skin tags) and some cancers, including prostate, cervical, and liver cancer.
This treatment is also called cryoablation.
2. WHAT IS CRYOTHERAPY?
▪ Cryotherapy is the use of extreme cold
to freeze and remove abnormal tissue.
▪ Doctors use it to treat many skin
conditions (including warts and skin
tags) and some cancers, including
prostate, cervical and liver cancer.
▪ This treatment is also called
cryoablation.
3. CRYOABLATION
A procedure in which an extremely cold
liquid or an instrument called a
cryoprobe is used to freeze and destroy
abnormal tissue.
A cryoprobe is cooled with substances
such as liquid nitrogen, liquid nitrous
oxide, or compressed argon gas.
4. LOCAL HYPERTHERMIA
▪ Local hyperthermia is used to heat a small area like a tumor.
▪ Very high temperatures are used to kill the cancer cells and destroy nearby blood
vessels.
▪ In effect, this cooks the area that is exposed to the heat.
5. LOCAL DRY AIR CRYOTHERAPY
▪ This method is same as cold treatment of cryotherapy, but it uses dry air
produced by cryroprobe.
6. WHY DO DOCTORS USE CRYOTHERAPY?
▪ Cryotherapy is a minimally invasive therapy.
▪ This type of treatment removes damaged or diseased tissue that comes from a variety of
medical conditions.
▪ Cryotherapy is usually done without open surgery.
▪ Most people recover quickly from the procedure and with little pain.
▪ Your provider might recommend cryotherapy for:
▪ Bone cancer.
▪ Cervical cancer, liver cancer or prostate cancer.
▪ Precancerous cells in the cervix (lower end of the uterus).
▪ Precancerous skin conditions and early-stage skin cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma
and basal cell carcinoma.
▪ Retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina in children).
▪ Skin conditions like warts, skin tags or dark spots.
7. HOW DOES CRYOTHERAPY WORK?
▪ During cryotherapy, the healthcare provider applies extreme cold to abnormal
tissue.
▪ Cells can’t survive this severe cold and die after treatment.
▪ Your healthcare provider can use a few different substances to create the intense
cold used in cryotherapy.
▪ These substances can include:
▪ Liquid nitrogen.
▪ Liquid nitrous oxide.
▪ Argon gas.
9. WHY CRYOTHERAPY METHOD WILL HEALTHCARE
PROVIDER USE?
▪ There are different cryotherapy methods to freeze tissue. The way your healthcare
provider applies the cold depends on the location of the abnormal tissue.
▪ External
▪ If the tissue is located on your skin, your provider will typically use a spraying device or a cotton
swab to apply the freezing agent.
▪ Internal
▪ To treat conditions inside the body, like precancerous cells or a tumor, your provider will use an
instrument called a cryoprobe.
▪ This probe is inserted through a small incision (cut) in your skin.
▪ External cryotherapy causes frozen skin to blister and peel off so that healthy new
skin can grow.
▪ When abnormal cells freeze and die during internal cryotherapy, your immune
system helps clear the tissue out of the body.
10. HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE FOR CRYOTHERAPY?
▪ Most people don’t need to do anything special to prepare for cryotherapy on the
skin.
▪ Your healthcare provider will give you instructions before internal cryotherapy to
help you prepare.
▪ You may have to stop taking certain medications, such as aspirin or blood thinners, a
few days before internal cryosurgery.
▪ Other special instructions may include:
▪ Limiting how much you eat or drink before the procedure.
▪ Planning for someone to drive you home after the procedure.
11. WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT DURING
CRYOTHERAPY?
▪ If you have external cryotherapy, your healthcare
provider will apply the cold with a spraying device or
cotton swab.
▪ Providers usually use liquid nitrogen for this type of
treatment.
▪ For internal cryotherapy, the cryoprobe is inserted
through a small incision in your skin.
▪ Your healthcare provider may use ultrasound imaging
to guide the cryoprobe to the tissue to be frozen.
▪ Depending on the location of the abnormal cells, you
may be given either local anesthesia or general
anesthesia.
▪ Local anesthesia works to numb a specific spot, while
a general anesthesia is used during surgeries to put
you to sleep.
12. WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AFTER CRYOTHERAPY?
▪ If you have cryotherapy for an external skin condition, the treated area will turn red
and possibly blister after treatment.
▪ Any mild pain should be gone after about three days.
▪ The treated area will form a scab, which usually heals in one to three weeks.
▪ After internal cryotherapy, you may have mild pain or soreness in the affected area
for up to three days.
▪ Women who have cryotherapy on the cervix may have a watery discharge for a few
days to a few weeks.
14. PROS & CONS OF CRYOTHERAPY
▪ Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive treatment.
▪ Compared to traditional surgery, it usually has less pain and bleeding and a lower
risk of damaging healthy tissue near the abnormal cells.
▪ The risks of cryotherapy are small, but complications can occur.
▪ These complications may include:
▪ Bleeding, cramping or pain after cryotherapy around the cervix.
▪ Bone fractures.
▪ Nerve damage resulting in loss of feeling.
▪ Swelling, scarring and skin infection.
15. WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE
CRYOTHERAPY?
▪ Healthcare providers successfully treat many problems with cryotherapy.
▪ Most skin conditions treated with cryotherapy do not require any special care after
treatment.
▪ Some people who have internal cryotherapy need to limit their activity for a few
days after the procedure.
▪ Your provider will let you know when you can return to your regular routine.
▪ You may need more than one cryotherapy treatment to remove all the abnormal
tissue.
16. WHEN SHOULD WE CALL THE DOCTOR?
▪ Contact your healthcare provider if you
have signs of an infection after
cryotherapy.
▪ These signs may include:
▪ Redness.
▪ Pus.
▪ Unexplained fever.
▪ You should also see your provider if you
still notice a skin issue after you heal
from cryotherapy.
