Incidence of Intracorporeal Complications of Cryotherapy in Bone Tumors Surgery

Abstract

Cryotherapy is used as a local physical adjuvant to the intralesional excision of the active, aggressive benign and low-grade malignant bone tumors. The goal of this additional treatment to curettage and burr drilling is to reduce the recurrence rate by freezing of the remaining tumor cells at the margin of the lesion22. Marcove2, the pioneer of the cryosurgery of bone tumors was the first to use it in the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the humerus in 1969. Then he described the "direct pour" method which included a large incision, curettage of the tumor cavity and pouring of the liquid nitrogen into the cavity several times to freeze it below -20oc. This method had been advocated to be a physical adjuvant in aim to decrease the incidence of the local recurrence and decrease the need for extensive resection and reconstruction of the bone.