Cryosurgery has been used successfully in treating a great deal of the surgical lesion because it eliminated pain and bleeding in surgical procedures and reduced post operative morbidity since liquid -nitrogen was applieddas cryogen.
The basic mechanism of cryosurgery is that living cells are injured by the effects of freezing. Cell death is brought by a combination of cryobiological effects in addition to simple dehydration, toxic concentration of electrolytes and direct physical effect of ice crystal in intra or extracellular space on the cell membrane. There are also the effect of denaturation of lipoprotein complex and vascular changes including thrombosis.
In 1964, Rand described a cryogenic transsphenoidal hypophysectomy, since then the use of cryosurgery has been described in the labyrinth, neoplasmm of the nasopharynx, laryngeal papilloma, epistaxis and in tonsillectomy.
Rescently, the authors have experienced 13 cases of cryosurgery in E.N.T. field and the results are sufficiently good to encourage continued clinical application.
Additional clinical evaluation of the tecnique is required.
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