Talk:Cryosurgery

liquid carbon dioxide
"Less frequently, doctors use liquid carbon dioxide mixed with acetone to form a slushy solution which is applied directly to the skin." Carbon dioxide can never be liquid at atmospheric pressure, so somethign isn't right here. Shoudl it be dry ice dissolved in acetone (Which has a melting point well below carbon dixoide's sublimation point, and I think should dissolve it)? Tompw 23:58, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

This company offers liquid carbon dioxide. Joyous | Talk 00:22, 10 December 2005 (UTC)


 * That's in cylinders under pressure... if you are applying it to the skin, it can't be under pressure. Tompw 12:45, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

aspirin and ibuprofun
If using cryosurgery in which blistering is the ultimate goal (moles, warts etc.) acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and ibuprofun should NOT be used. They are anti inflammatory drugs, which slow down/prevent the blistering process.
 * Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure it's not the blister you're looking for. In fact, you don't always get a blister. What kills the mole or wart is the freezing, essentially a controlled frostbite. Ibuprofen helps alleviate discomfort afterwords quite effectively. As for the article, maybe some stuff about caring for the site after it is frozen. ie. whether or not to drain a blister if it forms, etc (you shouldn't, generally, as the blister keeps the site sterile, but it's ok if you apply antiseptic) 70.43.199.66 04:03, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

OTC 'freeze' wart treatments
Is it worth giving a mention to self-applied cryosurgery via the over the counter devices designed to 'freeze' warts / verrucae? They use a mixture of propane and dimethyl ether to produce a similar effect to application of a liquid nitrogen lance (if used in accordance with the directions), and have been mentioned in a few other articles, just not here. Mittfh (talk) 01:25, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Cryoimmunology and cryoimmunotherapy for cancer
Until we have Cryoimmunology and cryoimmunotherapy it may be worth googling the terms. - Rod57 (talk) 08:08, 29 December 2012 (UTC)

Cryosurgery vs. Cryotherapy
What is the difference, Cryosurgery vs. Cryotherapy?

WP has two separate articles, similar content, no clear explanation.

Cryosurgery could be considered sub-category of more general concept of Cryotherapy.

Or, Cryosurgery could be considered to be destructive treatment, Cryotherapy non-destructive treatment.

But in practice, the terms seem to be used rather inter-changeably. So, I'd propose that the articles be merged, with inclusion of whatever can be properly said about any differences.

There do not seem to be relevant disambiguation pages now.-96.233.19.238 (talk) 13:50, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

I was missing a link to an article in the German wiki and... found that the German article "Kryotherapie" does not distinguish/disambiguate surgery from therapy, but describes "Kryochirurgie" to be a synonym (see de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryotherapie#Kryochirurgie). I attempted to add/define a "Deutsch" entry in the Languages-section (a dewiki-link) but was defeated by my ignorance how to do that. Please help and resolve the issue. Thanks! (2A02:8071:41A9:C900:647E:A062:807B:637 (talk) 02:54, 21 February 2017 (UTC))
 * Thanks, I've added a local link to the cryosurgery section of the German Wikipedia article. It can't be done on Wikidata, the regular place, because the link there is already taken by the cryotherapy page. Graham 87 14:15, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

Cost per spritz, CPT code 17000

 * www.bozemanskinclinic.com/skin-conditions/actinickeratoses.php
 * "Chemical face peels, mini dermabrasion, and superficial laser will temporarily seem to make keratoses go away. But they grow back in a few weeks to months. The reason for this is that the precancerous cells come from a reservoir in the basal layer. Peeling agents do not get that deep. If they do, they cause unacceptable scars. Liquid nitrogen tends not to damage the basement membrane."


 * emedicine.medscape.com/article/1125851-overview
 * "After the development of the vacuum flask to store subzero liquid elements, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, the use of cryotherapy dramatically increased. By the 1940s, liquid nitrogen became more readily available, and the most common method of application was by means of a cotton applicator. In 1961, Cooper and Lee introduced a closed-system apparatus to spray liquid nitrogen. In the late 1960s, metal probes became available. By 1990, 87% of dermatologists used cryotherapy in their practice."


 * www.princetoncryo.com/cryosurgery-and-dermatology.html
 * "Liquid nitrogen cryosurgery with a cryogun is the coldest (-196º C), most effective, and most versatile cryosurgical technique available. Using liquid nitrogen equipment like a cryogun is much colder and therefore more effective than applying LN2 with a swab (-20º C), nitrous oxide (-75º C), and disposable cold sprays (-55º C to -70º C). Also, Brymill has a MUCH lower cost to use on an ongoing basis than disposable cold sprays because it is not necessary to repeatedly buy $150-$200 disposable cans, each of which only can treat approximately 25-65 lesions."


 * www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21738958
 * "Cryopeeling for treatment of photodamage and actinic keratosis: liquid nitrogen versus portable system.
 * The aim of this study was to compare two cryopeeling methods (liquid nitrogen- LN and portable system - PS) and demonstrate their efficiency in the treatment of actinic keratoses, patient tolerance, researcher and patient preference and aesthetic results.
 * In the treatment of actinic keratoses, LN obtained 74% efficiency and PS, 62% (p = 0.019).... Treatment with LN obtained some degree of improvement in 62.5% of the cases, while treatment with PS obtained some degree of improvement in 52% of the cases (p> 0.05). Discussion: Treatment with the PS showed better tolerance, but was less efficient than LN..."

Although liquid nitrogen is the proper traditional method of skin lesion cryosurgery, other similar technologies are now common. The generic term for this alternative approach seems to be PORTABLE. The typical cost seems to be about US $5 per lesion treated, for the freezing materials:


 * www.docsavings.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=D&Category_Code=Cry&gclid=CJDpxeeb_bUCFVKf4AodOxQAwA
 * "Verruca-Freeze is a simple, safe, and effective alternative to liquid nitrogen. It is cleared to treat 21 benign skin lesions including common warts, plantar warts, genital warts, skin tags, age spots, and many more!"
 * SMC35	 Verrucafreeze Mini Replacement Canister: 30-35 freezes, $185.00
 * VFC65	 Verrucafreeze Replacement Canister: 60-70 freezes, $260.00
 * VFL	 Verrucafreeze 236ml Canister (100 freezes), $305.00


 * www.portlanddermclinic.com/billing-faqs.html
 * "Q Freezing of Actinic Keratosis:  The doctor sprayed me for half a second - why is it so expensive?"
 * "A The treatment of Actinic Keratosis involves spraying liquid nitrogen on the lesions. The cost starts at $145 and increases according to the number of lesions treated.  Our fees are in line with other dermatologists in our area who provide the same service."


 * ICD-9-CM Code: 702.0	Actinic keratosis
 * "The correct code is found in the ICD-9-CM index under the main term “keratosis” and the subterm “actinic” which references code 702.0."
 * Diagnosis: ICD-9 code 702.0 (Other dermatoses; actinic keratosis) describes AK.

17000 Destruct premalg lesion 2.38rvus $81.01 17003 Destruct premalg les 2-14 0.21rvus $7.15 17004 Destroy premal lesions 15/> 5.05rvus $171.89
 * www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/rbrvs/2012-rbrvs-congress-patch.pdf 2012 Relative Value Units

The standard Medicare insurance cost is about $81 to treat the first skin lesion, CPT code 17000; $7 per additional lesion, CPT code 17003; $172 bulk cost for 15 or more lesions, CPT code 17004.-96.233.19.238 (talk) 14:39, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

Urgent need to merge articles Cryosurgery, Cryoablation and Cryoimmunotherapy
Out of three larger articles: Cryosurgery, Cryoablation and Cryotherapy, the first two deal with exactly the same subject, without any mutual reference. They should be merged into one article. The third (Cryoimmunotherapy) covers a small subject, which also should be included in the merged article. Another article: Cryotherapy overlaps that field only partly, so it should stay separate, but cross-referenced. Such merging is really urgent, since these articles deal with little-known but important aspects of cancer treatment - now in a confusing way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 45.51.77.190 (talk) 18:34, 12 November 2016 (UTC)