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What is
Cryoanalgesia?
Cryoanalgesia is the treatment of pain by locating and
applying a precise and controlled low temperature freeze
to the peripheral nerves associated with acute or chronic pain.
The result of this treatment is a nerve conduction block
that provides effective long term pain relief.
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What is the history of Cryoanalgesia?
Cryoanalgesia is a specialized technique for providing
long-term pain relief for a wide variety of pain
syndromes. The medical profession recognizes that the
use of cold therapy as an effective analgesic dates back
to the ancient Egyptians over 2,500 years ago.
Hippocrates left us one of the earliest written records
of the use of ice for pain relief. Modern Cryoanalgesia
as we know it today was developed in the early 1960s.
Since then Cryosurgery has achieved universal acceptance
as a safe and effective means of achieving long term
pain relief. The technique of precise application of
extreme cold has become an excellent alternative to
other methods of peripheral nerve treatment such as
chemical injections or surgical resection because it is
not followed by neuritis, neuralgia or other
complications. Modern Cryoanalgesia has been developed
and proven effective for applications in Neurology,
Urology, Liver Cancer Therapy, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery,
Dermatology, Orthopedics, Podiatry and other principal
areas of medicine.
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How is the low
temperature freeze achieved?
CryoTech products utilize gas based
cryogenic technology and the JouleThompson Principle to
achieve a probe tip temperature in the region of -70 C.
A cryogenic gas (nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide) under
high pressure in a closed system is regulated and
delivered through a small orifice to an expansion
chamber in the tip of a cryoprobe. The rapid expansion
of the gas causes heat to be withdrawn from the tip of
the cryoprobe and a low temperature freeze results.
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How is Cryosurgery
performed?
Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive percutaneous
surgical technique that requires accurate location of
and freezing of nerve tissue that is associated with
pain. In a typical treatment the area of greatest pain
is located by palpation and observation of patient
response. Once the site of greatest pain is located, the
doctor will apply anesthesia and make a minor incision
usually measuring approximately 3 - 4 mm. Depending on
the type of procedure being performed the physician may
elect to locate the nerve precisely by insertion of a
specialized cryoprobe which conducts a minor electrical
current that stimulates the nerve. Once the nerve is
accurately located, a freeze cycle is initiated via the
cryoprobe. Often the procedure consists of a set of two,
three minute freeze cycles but the physician ultimately
determines the number and length of freeze cycles based
on a prior clinical evaluation and the type of
cryosurgical device being used.
After the freeze
cycle has been completed, the cryoprobe is removed and
the minor incision is treated with an antiseptic
ointment and a small bandage is applied. A typical
procedure requires no stitches to close the incision.
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What are the
physiological effects?
The essence of cryoneurolysis is the
precise location and ablation of targeted nerve tissue.
Necrosis of nerve cells is caused by rapid freezing of
intercellular elements and extra-cellular fluid at or
below -20 C. The rapid freeze causes cell walls to
rupture and the axons and myelin sheath degenerate (Wallerian
Degeneration). The endonuerium, epinuerium and
perinuerium remain intact allowing subsequent
regeneration of the nerve. The risk of post-operative
neuritis or neuralgia is nearly non-existent.
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What are the
benefits of Cryosurgery?
The benefits of cryosurgery present a true win-win-win
situation for physicians, patients and insurance
providers. The principle benefits of cryosurgery
include:
Procedures are simple, fast, safe, effective and
repeatable
Extends the treatment protocol for non-responsive
cases
Has a lower over all cost for insurance providers
Reimbursable using established CPT codes
Low risk compared to surgical alternatives
Short post-operative recovery period
No expensive post-operative care
Low incidence of complications
No long term recovery period
High patient satisfaction
Long term pain relief
High success rate
Cost effective
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Benefits of
Cryoanalgesia
15 minute
office based procedure
Improved quality of care
Long-term pain relief
Minimally invasive
Immediate ambulatory status
High patient satisfaction rating
Treatment may be repeated
Reimbursed by insurance providers
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