The Benefits
of Cryoanalgesia

■ Long term pain relief
■ Reversible nerve block
■ Post operative pain control with minimum
■ drug usage
■ No neuroma formation
■ Low incidence of neuritis
■ Out patient treatment
■ Treatment can be repeated
The Use of Cryoanalgesia
The Cryopac can be used to produce Cryoanalgesia in many sites for:

Postoperative Pain
Post-herniorrhaphy (ilioinguinal nerve)
Post-thoracotomy (intercostal nerve)
Post-tonsillectomy (glosspharyngeal nerve)

Chronic Pain
■ Intercostal neuralgesia
■ Neuromas
■ Lliac crest bone grafts
■ Lumbar facet arthropathy
■ Facial pain, trigeminal neuralgias, tic
■ douloureux
■ Interspinous ligaments
■ Coccidynia
■ Perineal neuropathies
■ Ilioingunial, iliohypogastric,
■ genitofemoral neuralgias
■ Trigger points
■ Painful superficial scars
■ Stump neuromas
■ Ganglion impar
■ Phantom limb
■ Obturator nerve
■ Other peripheral nerves (sensory)
■ Sacral fodmenal block
■ Facet Rhizolysis
■ Pituitary ablation
Principles of the Operation
Cryoanalgesia for intractable pain involves the location and freezing of the nerve associated with the pain.

In the case of low back pain, for example, the relevant nerve is easily located in the sacral foramina.

The probe can be positioned approximately, using an image intensifier. Once in the region, accurate tip positioning is achieved by nerve stimulation and observation of the patient’s response.

Once the nerve is located, the freeze control is activated and an iceball is formed around the tip of the cryoprobe and the adjacent nerve.
Nerve Location
The probe tip is the active electrode of the nerve stimulator and the circuit is completed via a flexible patient plate electrode. The output from the stimulator allows a choice of two frequencies, for motor or sensory responses.

This feature combined with a choice of polarity for the wave form and a continuously variable voltage between 0V and 5V, allows the clinician to choose the optimum position for freezing the nerve. stimulation is effected by passing low voltage pulses between probe tip and patient plate electrode.

The plate is large compared to the tip, so that current density is high at the tip and low at the plate. Stimulation is therefore only effective on nerves in the immediate vicinity of the tip.
Nerve Freezing
Gas expansion technology is used to cool the probe tip, a method well proven in Cryotech’s extensive range of cryoprobes.

High pressure N2O or CO2 gas is cooled by expanding it through a small orifice. This causes heat to be withdrawn rapidly from the probe tip.
Probe Configuration
The cryoprobe has been redesigned to ensure that the cooling is located only at the tip, thereby eliminating unwanted stem freezing and associated skin burns.
At the center of the frozen tip, the temperature is approx. –89°C (used with N2O)


Probes:
1) 2mm 6 inch probes available for all
■■but head & neck application.

2) 1.3mm 6 inch probes available for
■■head & neck application.

3) All probes have their own
■■microprocessor which is built
■■protection to alrts user when
■■maintenance is required.

Easy to use:
The systems have a unique self-diagnostic startup process which analyzes all areas of poeration.

1) Recognizes approximately how much gas ■■is in the cyclinder.

2) Makes sure components are connected ■■for safe procedure.

3) Performs both a leak and probe
■■diagnostic every procedure.

4) Recognizes the attached cryo probe and ■■checks for malfunction.

5) Automatically purges probes from
■■mositure resultant from sterilzing.

Procedures have been simplified:
1) The relevant nerve is located by easy to
■■use built-in stimulation being 100hz for
■■sensory nerves and 2hz for motor nerves ■■from the tip of the cryo probes.

2) The freezing is automated with two 3
■■minute freezes and a built-in 30 second ■■defrost.

3) There is an operator override for other
■■desired applications.

4) Computer icon driven for ease of
■■operation.