Cryotherapy

What is cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is a treatment where your healthcare provider applies extreme cold to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. To create this severe cold, your provider may use a substance like liquid nitrogen or argon gas.

Cryotherapy can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions and some cancers, including prostate and liver cancer. This therapy can treat tissue externally (on the skin) and internally (inside the body). This treatment can also be called cryoablation.

Why do doctors use cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is a minimally invasive therapy. It removes damaged or diseased tissue from a variety of medical conditions. Most people recover quickly from the procedure 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 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.

Treatment details

How does cryotherapy work?

During cryotherapy, the healthcare provider applies extreme cold to abnormal tissue. Cells cannot survive this severe cold and die after treatment.

Substances used to create the intense cold can include liquid nitrogen, liquid nitrous oxide, and argon gas.

What cryotherapy method will my healthcare provider use?

The method depends on the location of the abnormal tissue:

• External: if the tissue is on your skin, your provider usually uses a spraying device or cotton swab.
• Internal: for conditions inside the body, your provider uses a cryoprobe inserted through a small incision.

External cryotherapy may cause the treated skin to blister and peel so healthy skin can grow. During internal cryotherapy, your immune system helps clear the treated tissue from the body.

How should I prepare?

Most people do not need special preparation for cryotherapy on the skin. Your healthcare provider gives specific instructions before internal cryotherapy.

You may need to:

• Stop certain medications, such as aspirin or blood thinners, for a few days before internal cryosurgery.
• Limit food or drink before the procedure.
• Plan for someone to drive you home afterward.

What to expect

During cryotherapy

For external cryotherapy, your provider applies the cold using liquid nitrogen with a spray device or cotton swab.

For internal cryotherapy, a cryoprobe is inserted through a small incision. Ultrasound imaging may be used to guide the probe.

Depending on treatment location, you may receive local anesthesia (numbs one area) or general anesthesia (sleep during procedure).