ABSTRACT
History of Cryosurgery 136
Mechanisms of Tissue Injury in Cryosurgery 137
Mechanisms of Tissue Injury during Freezing Cycles 137
Mechanisms of Tissue Injury during Thawing Cycles 137
Histopathological Changes After Cryosurgery 138
Role of Hormonal Therapy 138
Cryosurgical Technique 138
Initiation of Freezing 140
Postoperative Care 142
Role of Cryosurgery in Recurrent Prostate Cancer after Radiation Therapy 142
Role of Cryosurgery in Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer 144
Brachytherapy 145
Complications of Cryosurgery 146
References 146
Over the past decade, there has been a strong movement within urologic onco-
logy toward minimally invasive diagnostic procedures as well as therapies.
Two prime examples of this for prostate cancer are laparascopic radical prosta-
tectomy and brachytherapy. The goals of minimally invasive therapies for a
malignancy of a solid organ are to eradicate the local disease, shorten hospital
stay, limit postoperative morbidities, quicken return to daily functions and
work, and reduce the overall cost of the procedure. Although some of these thera-
pies are relatively new, they are gaining popularity rather quickly, and several
worldwide experiences have demonstrated that they are quite effective in
achieving most or all of these goals (1).
