Cryo- Health Dictionary

Maintenance at very low temperatures of the viability of tissues or organs that have been excised from the body.... cryopreservation

The use of cold in surgery. Its advantages include little associated pain, little or no bleeding, and excellent healing with little or no scar formation. Hence its relatively wide use in eye surgery, some abdominal surgery, skin cancers and treatment of HAEMORRHOIDS. The coolants used include liquid nitrogen with which temperatures as low as ?196 °C can be obtained, carbon dioxide (?78 °C) and nitrous oxide (?88 °C).... cryosurgery

The treatment of disease by refrigeration. The two main forms in which it is now used are HYPOTHERMIA and refrigeration ANAESTHESIA.... cryotherapy

When frozen plasma is allowed to thaw slowly at 4 °C, a proportion of the plasma protein remains undissolved in the cold thawed plasma and stays in this state until the plasma is warmed. It is this cold, insoluble precipitate that is known as cryoprecipitate. It can be recovered quite easily by centrifuging. Its value is that it is a rich source of factor VIII, which is used in the treatment of HAEMOPHILIA.... cryoprecipitate

The induction of analgesia (see ANALGESICS) by the use of cold that is produced by means of a special probe. The use of cold for the relief of pain dates back to the early days of mankind: two millennia ago, Hippocrates was recommending snow and ice packs as a preoperative analgesic. The modern probe allows a precise temperature to be induced in a prescribed area. Among its uses is in the relief of chronic pain which will not respond to any other form of treatment. This applies particularly to chronic facial pain.... cryoanalgesia

The method of ?nding the concentration of blood, urine, etc., by observing their freezing-point.... cryoscopy

n. an *ablation technique in which extreme cold is used to destroy tumour or abnormal tissue. Nitrogen or argon gas is passed through the ablation probe to freeze the tissue around it. The technique is mostly used to destroy abnormal conducting tissue in the heart, especially abnormal cells around the pulmonary veins as they enter the left atrium in patients with atrial *fibrillation. However, it is also used for kidney, prostate, and bone tumours. *Radiofrequency ablation is an alternative approach.... cryoablation

n. an abnormal protein – an *immunoglobulin (see paraprotein) – that may be present in the blood in certain diseases. Cryoglobulins become insoluble at low temperatures, leading to obstruction of small blood vessels in the fingers and toes in cold weather and producing a characteristic rash. The presence of cryoglobulins (cryoglobulinaemia) may be a feature of a variety of diseases, including *macroglobulinaemia, systemic *lupus erythematosus, and certain infections.... cryoglobulin

n. see cryosurgery.... cryoprobe

n. the use of extreme cold to freeze areas of weak or torn retina in order to cause scarring and seal breaks. It is used in *cryosurgery for *retinal detachment and also in certain other ischaemic conditions of the retina (e.g. diabetic retinopathy).... cryoretinopexy

n. 1. a chamber in which frozen tissue is sectioned with a *microtome. 2. a device for maintaining a specific low temperature.... cryostat