cryo surgery options

Re: cryo surgery options

bob lehner — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 10:08:37 GMT

[quote user="Andrew Mellor"]

thinking of getting a cryo unit for warts etc, could anyone who uses a cryo unit frequently let me know whether they really are painless/tolerable to dogs and cats and I was thinking of the vet direst cryo-alfa pen type unit, I was wondering how many warts you can get off with one nitrous flask for this pen to work out how to charge it etc.

once opened do the flasks leak out etc or can they be used over consecutive days?

[/quote]

I've had cryo on myself numerous times (for solar keratosis - a sort of superficial pre-neoplastic skin change resulting from over-exposure to sun when young). Can confirm it's not really painful - just a mildish stinging/burning sensation.

The first time I paid a consultant dermatologist an outrageous sum of money to treat me - but noticed he was using exactly the same unit as I had at the surgery - so since then have resorted to diy treatment on many occasions.

I did a lot of cryo on animals years ago - it was quite popular and trendy for a while - but seems less so now. We had a large flask of liquid nitrogen, which we just tipped up and decanted (shock, horror - H&S would have a dickey fit these days!) into a small vacuum flask with various solid probe or spray fittings.

Dogs would normally tolerate it OK - don't think I ever tried it on a conscious cat. Horses could be a bit twitchy. If using a solid probe, be aware that the probe will 'weld' to the skin when applied - and you don't want the animal jumping or pulling back sharply at this point or you risk tearing the lesion off.

It works well for superficial or small 'fleshy' lesions - less so for larger or more solid lumps. Main thing is you do need to do quite a few freeze-thaw cycles in order to ensure cell-death - otherwise the results can be disappointing. This means it can be quite time consuming - I often felt I could have just chopped the lump off in half the time - I think that is largely why it fell out of favour.

Re: cryo surgery options

Andrew Mellor — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 08:40:37 GMT

fantastic , thanks for your input.

Re: cryo surgery options

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:45:30 GMT

[quote user="Andrew Mellor"]

do the animals tend to lick the site whilst the underlying skin heals , obviously there has to be some freezer burn on normal skin under/next to lesion.

[/quote]One of the advantages of the nitrous system is that there is much less risk of collateral damage. I've never had an issue with interfering with wounds certainly not to the extent of needing a buster collar. My own cat had 3 cycles for SCC on his nose and is quite tolerant with no bother afterwards, presently in remission after last treatment 12 months ago.

Re: cryo surgery options

Andrew Mellor — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:57:09 GMT

do the animals tend to lick the site whilst the underlying skin heals , obviously there has to be some freezer burn on normal skin under/next to lesion.

Re: cryo surgery options

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:39:13 GMT

I use a nitrous oxide unit, it is cheap and the cylinder lasts forever. It is more than adequate for 99% of the uses I have for cryosurgery: warts and squamous cell carcinoma plaques are the main indications. Downside is it struggles to deal with anything bigger or deeper than 1/2 sq cm without multiple applications.

But is does sting, I can just about manage to hold a placid animal still until it goes numb but would be happier sedating a jumpy/nervous/aggressive one.

Re: cryo surgery options

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 15:33:35 GMT

They are not painless - there is a definite sting. The reaction seems similar to the sting with a needle and local. Many dogs will tolerate OK, ever tried on a cat.

I have liquid nitrogen in a big dewar for embryo fun in cows. Having it here, we rarely use it (may once per month) on small animals.

Not sure if that's any help or not. I would struggle to justify the kit without the cows.