Cryosurgery is the use of extreme cold, most often liquid nitrogen or argon gas delivered through a probe or spray, to freeze and destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. British physician James Arnott experimented with applying cold mixtures to treat cancer as early as the 1850s, but the modern technique took shape in the twentieth century, when dermatologist Setrag Zacarian developed practical liquid-nitrogen application methods and neurosurgeon Irving Cooper developed a cryoprobe device, both in the 1960s. The technique is now used to treat a range of skin lesions and warts, precancerous changes on the cervix, and certain tumors of the prostate, liver and kidney in patients for whom it offers a less invasive alternative to surgical removal.
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Treats
Cryosurgery is a standard first-line treatment for actinic keratosis.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationCryosurgery - History section
In 1841, English physician James Arnott described therapeutic applications of extremely cold temperatures, namely a mixture of crushed ice and salt applied locally (to skin or mucous membrane).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryosurgery, lead section
Cryosurgery is the use of extreme cold in surgery to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue; thus, it is the surgical application of cryoablation.
Cryosurgery has been historically used to treat a number of diseases and disorders, especially a variety of benign and malignant skin c
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Who first described medical uses of extreme cold?
James Arnott, in 1841, using crushed ice and salt.
According to the Wikipedia history of cryosurgery, in 1841 the English physician James Arnott described therapeutic applications of extremely cold temperatures, namely a mixture of crushed ice and salt applied locally to skin or mucous membrane. The modern technique, which uses liquid nitrogen or argon gas, took shape later, in the twentieth century.
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