CRYOPROBES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE CRYOSURGERY OF DEEPLY LYING LESIONS

摘要

The use of x-ray computer tomography permits the monitoring of ice-ball growth during cryosurgery. Thus the cryosurgery of deep-lying lesions and tumors becomes possible and the cryotherapy of tissue close to the body surface and/or in body cavities may be optimized. This monitoring technique is used in conjunction with special cryoprobes (5) designed to have an attenuation coefficient as close as possible to that of biological tissue. The cryoprobes (5) are constructed of low atomic number metals and/or plastics and can be used with liquid nitrogen or liquid noble gas, especially crypton and xenon. These techniques enable the use of long needle-shaped cryoprobes (5) with diameters of a few millimeters for the cryosurgery of deep-lying tumors.