This article introduces cryosurgery devices, cryopreservation devices, some cryogenic freezing methods in medicine and the recent progress about cryotherapy technology.
Cryopreservation ; instrumentation ; Cryotherapy ; instrumentation ; methods

PURPOSE: To introduce a novel adjuvant technique to locate cyclodialysis cleft using a laser pointer in a gonioscopic view. CASE SUMMARY: A 36-year-old man complaining of blurred vision in his left eye after blunt trauma 2 weeks prior was referred to our hospital. Gonioscopy showed a cyclodialysis cleft from 3 to 4 o'clock and fundus revealed hypotonic maculopathy. After the failure of medical treatment, we tried various interventions such as injection of viscoelastic agent into the anterior chamber and intravitreal gas tamponade with transconjunctival cryotherapy. Since those were not successful, we decided to treat the patient with direct cyclopexy. For the preoperative localization of the cleft, we tried a new technique that uses a laser pointer. On gonioscopic examination, an assistant shot the laser toward the limbal area where the suspicious cleft was located. We were able to precisely locate the cyclodialysis cleft if the laser pointer light was seen through the cleft in the gonioscopic view. With the aid of a laser a pointer, the cleft was successfully closed. CONCLUSIONS: Localization with a laser pointer is simple, safe, rapid, and helpful for planning surgical repair of a cyclodialysis cleft without expensive equipment.
Adult ; Anterior Chamber ; Cryotherapy ; Gonioscopy ; Humans ; Methods*

Cryotherapy is one of the most widely used procedures in the field of dermatology. Since the development of cryotherapy with the use of liquid nitrogen beginning in the 19(th) century, its use has gradually increased for various dermatologic conditions, including benign conditions, premalignant lesions, and malignancies. Because the therapeutic effects of cryotherapy are diverse, it must be applied specifically for each indication, requiring a thorough understanding of the basic principles and mechanisms of cryotherapy. In addition, both acute and chronic complications can develop, which may possibly leave permanent scars and tissue damage, thus, careful manipulation is required. In conclusion, cryotherapy is a frequently used treatment method but should be performed precisely by well-trained specialists.
Cicatrix ; Cryotherapy* ; Dermatology* ; Methods ; Nitrogen ; Specialization ; Therapeutic Uses

BACKGROUNDTherapeutic approaches for tracheal stenosis caused by the formation of exuberant granulation tissues usually include electrocautery, mechanical dilation, laser therapy, argon plasma coagulation (APC), cryotherapy and stent placement. However, restenosis after stent insertion remains a significant limitation. We examined the efficacy of three different approaches, including induction of mechanical lesions, APC performed with different powers or durations and cryotherapy, to identify the method that limited the formation of granulation tissue.

METHODSTwelve specially bred research mongrel dogs were divided into three groups. In group 1 (four dogs) mild (procedure 1; two dogs) or moderate (procedure 2; two dogs) damage was induced mechanically. Group 2 (six dogs) received APC at different powers or durations (procedure 3: 30 W, 1 cm/s; procedure 4: 30 W, 2 cm/s; procedure 5: 25 W, 3 cm/s). Group 3 (two dogs) received cryotherapy (procedure 6: two freeze-thaw cycles of 30 seconds). Uncovered self-expandable metallic stents were inserted in all dogs to maintain a continuous stimulus to the trachea mucosa. Dogs were monitored for 4 weeks and the relationship between granulation tissue proliferation and method used was analyzed.

RESULTSIn group 1, granulation tissue growth increased with more severe mechanical damage. The growth of granulation tissue in group 2 was more pronounced than in group 1, and both dogs in procedure 3 died because of severe stenosis. In this group, the formation of granulation tissue decreased with decreasing power and duration. In group 3, no obvious granulation tissue was found at week 4.

CONCLUSIONSLesions and stimuli from a foreign body (the stent) are two important factors that lead to overgrowth of granulation tissue. Thermal lesions, such as APC, seem to induce greater granulation tissue growth and cartilage damage compared with mechanical and cryotherapy lesions. Cryotherapy in combination with mechanical dilation may be a safe and effective treatment method for managing tracheal stenosis caused by the formation of granulation tissue.

Animals ; Bronchoscopy ; methods ; Cryotherapy ; Dogs ; Granulation Tissue ; pathology ; Laser Coagulation ; methods ; Stents ; Tracheal Stenosis ; therapy

A novel system is proposed to control the liquid nitrogen cooling and radio frequency heating of tissue to achieve effective thermal ablation in the treatment using fuzzy logic controller and fuzzy logic PID type controller separately. Results of ex-vivo pig liver experiments demonstrate that this system is useful and could p control the desired treatment procedure.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Computer Simulation ; Cryotherapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Electrocoagulation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Equipment Design ; Fuzzy Logic ; Liver ; Swine

Despite the widespread clinical use of cryotherapy, there is only limited and inconsistent data on application times. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in tissue temperature and the duration of this effect. In this experimental study, five adult dogs were used. A cold gel pack (10 x 20 cm) was applied transversally over the right leg femoral region. Temperatures were recorded simultaneously: rectal by a mercury thermometer; right leg skin by probe of Nihon Kohden 6000 polygraph; and right leg subcutaneous, intramuscular, and periosteal, and left leg intramuscular temperatures by a fluorooptic biomedical fiber optic (0.6 mm diameter) thermometer connected to a computer system. Total system accuracy was 0.01 degreesC Cold gel packs were applied for 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minutes duration. The results can be summarized as cooling and rewarming data. 1) The superficial tissues such as skin and subcutaneous demonstrated the most rapid and profound cooling effect. The deeper tissues such as bone and muscle exhibited a smaller and more gradual decline in temperature. 2) There was a prolonged rewarming period in all tissues after the removal of the cold gel pack but this period was longer in deeper tissues. According to cold gel pack application time, the rewarming time in intramuscular layers to baseline or plateau temperatures was about: 60 +/-3 minutes for 10 minutes application, 100 +/-4 for 15, 130 +/-5 for 20, 140 +/-7 for 25, and 145 +/-8 for 30. It can be concluded from these results that with increased cold gel pack application time, deep tissue temperature decreased and the duration of cooling effect increased. However, the data indicated that the length of application time and the duration of cooling effect were not linearly related. Especially after 20 minutes of application this ratio decreased progressively. There may be implications of these results for clinical practice.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; *Body Temperature ; Cryotherapy/*methods ; Dogs ; Hindlimb ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Periosteum ; Rectum ; Skin Temperature ; Time Factors

Keloids are abnormally healed skin wounds that develop in the subpapillary layer of the dermis. They are a lesion with wide, raised and deep scars. They exceed the original dimensions of the wound and grow mounds upon mounds of collagen in a pseudotumor fashion. Their treatment may take several forms such as surgery, intralesional injection of steroid, compression, superficial irradiation, and combination therapy. However, absolute method is nothing until now. Recently, the cryosurgery shows relatively good effect in treatment, so we tried the clinical experience with cryosurgery in the treatment of keloids. Material and methods: During the past 2 years, we treated 20 individuals of the keloids with severe itching and pain. The age ranged from 5 to 45 years old. Only 6 cases were biopsied before and after cryotherapy. The cryosurgery set we used was Toitu model CR 201 N₂O gas (tip temperature in ­80℃) and was applied directly on the lesion about 4 to 5 minutes with slight compression. After cryosurgery in keloids, the following results were obtained: 1. It is both quick and easy method. 2. It is causes little or no pain and no loss of blood. 3. Integumentary normalization is rapid. The new scar tissue is smaller, and more elastic and soft. 4. The pain, itching and paresthesia commonly associated with keloid is usually disappeared. 5. Other treatment can be used after cryosurgery. 6. Histologic picture after cryosurgery is similar with the result of steroid injection. 7. The mechanism of the cryosurgery in keloids is the result of the direct tissue destroying action and cryoimmunologic reaction.
Cicatrix ; Collagen ; Cryosurgery* ; Cryotherapy ; Dermis ; Injections, Intralesional ; Keloid* ; Methods ; Paresthesia ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

Cold Temperature ; Cryotherapy ; methods ; Cysts ; therapy ; Endoscopes ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Diseases ; therapy

Cryotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) stage 3+. However, the outcome of cryotherapy is less favorable in zone 1 ROP than in zone 2 ROP. We suspected whether there may be differences in the outcomes of cryotherapy if the zone of ROP is further divided. So we reviewed the records of 85 premature infants (145 eyes) who had undergone cryotherapy for ROP. The frequencies of favorable outcome were 42.9% of 14 eyes (zone 1), 78.9% of 38 eyes (posterior zone 2), 92.9% of 70 eyes (mid zone 2), and 100.0% of 23 eyes (anterior zone 2), respectively (p < 0.001). These results suggest that the more posteriorly the ROP is located, the less favorable the outcome of cryotherapy.
Cryotherapy/*methods ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/pathology/*therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: The aims of the current study were to evaluate the effects of superficial cold and heat after spine surgery on pain, satisfaction with pain control and comfort level, and to identify subjective responses and adverse effects. METHODS: A prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was utilized. The intervention group (n=36) received superficial cooling until the wound drain was removed and thereafter followed by superficial heating until discharge, while the control group (n=34) received only superficial cooling until wound drain was removed. Data were collected from August 4 to November 11 2014. RESULTS: There was significant difference in pain according to time within groups (F=71.87, p<.001). However, we found no difference in pain between groups. The intervention group reported higher patient satisfaction with pain control (4 vs 3, z=-2.83, p=.005) and higher comfort level (5 vs 4, z=-4.12, p<.001) than the control group. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that sequential application of superficial cold and heat is a useful method in clinical practice for management of pain after spine surgery.
Cryotherapy ; Heating ; Hot Temperature* ; Humans ; Methods ; Pain, Postoperative ; Patient Satisfaction* ; Personal Satisfaction ; Prospective Studies ; Spine* ; Wounds and Injuries