Cancer: Hartford Hospital presented a live Percutaneous Cryoablation procedure on May 10, 2005 at 6:00 pm EDT (2200 UTC). For cancer patients with certain types of inoperable tumors of the lung, liver, kidney or bone, percutaneous cryoablation is now offering new hope. Using miniaturized probes that glide through the skin, Hartford Hospital physicians inject argon gas into the tumor to freeze it to its margins. They watch the resultant ice ball form through CT and ultrasound imaging, and control its growth to protect nearby structures. A 28-minute freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle destroys the tumor. By placing multiple probes they can treat larger lesions than was possible using radiofrequency ablation. Percutaneous cryoablation is more comfortable for patients because ice has a numbing effect on surrounding tissue, requiring little sedation, and patients are able to go home sooner. Hartford Hospital is the only hospital in Connecticut that can offer percutaneous cryoablation to its patients.
John Straub, MD, Interventional Radiologist, Jefferson X-Ray and Jack Foster, MD, Interventional Radiologist, Connecticut Surgical Group performed in this live educational broadcast.
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