What does cryosurgery mean?
Cryosurgery is a surgical technique that uses extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. Typically performed with liquid nitrogen, argon gas, or another cryogenic agent, the procedure freezes cells at temperatures low enough to cause ice crystals to form inside them, killing the targeted tissue. It is widely used in dermatology to remove warts, skin tags, actinic keratoses, and certain early-stage skin cancers, and it also has applications in treating some internal tumors. Because cryosurgery usually requires no incision and carries a lower risk of bleeding than conventional surgery, it is often performed as an outpatient procedure with minimal discomfort. The word combines the Greek-derived element 'cryo-', meaning icy cold or frost, with 'surgery'. It should not be confused with the broader term cryotherapy, which covers all therapeutic uses of cold, including simple ice packs.
nounA surgical technique that destroys abnormal or diseased tissue by freezing it, typically with liquid nitrogen or another cryogenic agent.
- The surgical destruction of diseased or abnormal tissue by freezing it with a cryogenic substance such as liquid nitrogen.
"The dermatologist removed the wart using cryosurgery."
"Cryosurgery is commonly used to remove warts, skin tags, and precancerous lesions."
"After the biopsy confirmed early-stage skin cancer, her doctor recommended cryosurgery rather than conventional excision."
Surgeons can destroy a tumor with nothing more than a blast of liquid nitrogen at −196°C — no scalpel required.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cryosurgery
The word 'cryosurgery' derives from the Greek root 'kryos' (κρύος), meaning frost or icy cold, combined with 'surgery', which traces back through Latin 'chirurgia' to Greek 'cheirourgia', meaning handwork. The term emerged in twentieth-century medical English as physicians developed techniques for destroying tissue with freezing agents such as liquid nitrogen. It shares its Greek root with other scientific coinages such as 'cryogenic', 'cryotherapy', and 'cryopreservation'.
How cryosurgery is actually used
A formal medical term used in clinical and dermatological contexts; in everyday conversation, people are more likely to say 'freezing it off' or refer to cryotherapy.
Easily confused with cryosurgery
Cryotherapy is the broader term for any therapeutic use of cold (including ice packs and whole-body cold chambers), while cryosurgery specifically means using extreme cold to destroy tissue surgically.