What does a cryoprobe do? Unfreezing the medical marvel

September 30, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the National Cancer Institute, cryosurgery is a procedure that uses extremely cold temperatures to destroy abnormal tissue, such as cancer cells or noncancerous growths. So, what does a cryoprobe do? It is the specialized medical instrument designed to deliver this precise, controlled freezing power for various therapeutic applications, from surface-level blemishes to internal tumors.

Quick Summary

A cryoprobe is a medical tool that delivers controlled, extreme cold to freeze and destroy unwanted or abnormal tissue, treating conditions from skin lesions to internal tumors and extracting foreign bodies.

Key Points

Core Function: A cryoprobe freezes and destroys abnormal or diseased tissue using extreme cold delivered via compressed gases like argon or nitrous oxide.
Multiple Applications: This medical tool is used in dermatology for skin lesions, oncology for internal tumors, pulmonology for extracting foreign bodies, and more.
Mechanism: It works by the Joule-Thomson effect, where the rapid expansion of gas creates a freezing effect at the probe's tip, causing cellular damage and vessel constriction.
Minimally Invasive: A key benefit is its minimally invasive nature, which often results in less pain, reduced scarring, and faster recovery compared to traditional surgery.
Guided Precision: For internal procedures, imaging techniques like ultrasound or CT scans are used to guide the cryoprobe and monitor the freezing process with high precision.
Targeted Action: The device allows for targeted treatment of specific areas, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Medical Device: The cryoprobe is a versatile and essential medical device in modern healthcare, with different forms adapted for various uses, from hand-held pens to needle-like applicators.

The Science Behind Cryosurgery

At its core, the operation of a cryoprobe is based on the Joule-Thomson effect. This physical principle describes the temperature change that occurs when a compressed gas is allowed to expand freely. In a cryoprobe, a high-pressure, liquefied gas—often argon, nitrous oxide, or carbon dioxide—is channeled to the probe's tip. A small orifice restricts the gas flow, and as it rapidly expands on the other side, the temperature at the tip drops dramatically, sometimes to well below freezing.

When the cold cryoprobe is applied to targeted tissue, the freezing process causes two types of cellular damage:

Direct cellular injury: This involves the formation of ice crystals within and outside the cells. Extracellular ice crystals draw water out of the cells through osmosis, increasing the concentration of solutes inside. This damages and eventually ruptures the cell membranes. Intracellular ice crystals are smaller but equally destructive, directly destroying the cell's internal structures.
Indirect cellular injury: The freezing process damages the blood vessels that supply the targeted tissue. This cuts off oxygen and nutrient supply, causing further tissue death and preventing regrowth.

Versatile Medical Applications of Cryoprobes

Cryoprobes have become an indispensable tool across numerous medical specialties due to their precision and minimally invasive nature. Their ability to deliver localized freezing allows for targeted destruction of tissue while minimizing damage to the surrounding healthy areas. Common applications include:

Dermatology and Aesthetics

For surface-level conditions, a pen-like cryoprobe can be used for highly accurate freezing of the skin. This is a common in-office procedure for removing various benign lesions.

Warts (viral infections)
Skin tags (benign skin growths)
Actinic keratosis (pre-cancerous sun spots)
Seborrheic keratoses (benign skin growths)
Age spots and freckles
Molluscum contagiosum

Oncology

Cryoprobes are used in a procedure called cryoablation to treat solid tumors inside the body. An interventional radiologist inserts needle-like cryoprobes through a small skin puncture, guided by real-time imaging like ultrasound or CT scans. This technique is used for tumors in organs such as:

Kidney: For small kidney tumors
Liver: Treating liver cancer
Lung: For certain lung tumors
Prostate: As an alternative or addition to traditional prostate cancer treatments
Breast: To treat benign tumors (fibroadenomas) and sometimes small cancers

Pulmonology and Airway Management

In recent advancements, flexible cryoprobes have been integrated with bronchoscopy to address issues within the airways. Instead of destroying tissue, this technique, known as cryoextraction, leverages freezing to retrieve foreign bodies or problematic blockages.

Extracting foreign bodies lodged in the airway
Removing stubborn mucus plugs or blood clots that obstruct breathing
Clearing airway obstructions caused by benign or malignant growths

Ophthalmology

Historically, cryoprobes have been used for ophthalmological procedures, such as treating detached retinas or retinal cancer. The controlled cold is used to create a strong adhesion that helps reattach the retina.

Cardiac and Nerve-Related Procedures

Cryoprobes are also used in cardiac procedures to ablate heart tissue causing irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). For pain management, a cryoprobe can be applied to nerves to create a temporary anesthetic block, known as cryoanalgesia.

Cryoprobe Approaches: A Comparison

Different medical needs necessitate different cryoprobe techniques. The following table compares some common methods.


Feature	External Cryosurgery (e.g., CryoPen)	Internal Cryoablation (e.g., for tumors)	Cryoextraction (e.g., for airways)
Application Area	Surface-level skin lesions (warts, tags, spots)	Internal organs (kidney, liver, lung)	Airway and bronchial tree
Cryogen	Often nitrous oxide (N2O) cartridges	Liquid nitrogen, argon, or carbon dioxide gas	Carbon dioxide or other cryogens
Probe Design	Pen-like, handheld device with various tips	Needle-like applicators of various gauges	Flexible, thin probe for use with endoscopes
Procedure	Direct application to the skin, typically in-office	Percutaneous insertion guided by imaging	Inserted through an endoscope to retrieve tissue
Anesthesia	Often no anesthesia is needed for external treatment	Local or general anesthesia, depending on tumor site	Often performed under general anesthesia
Key Mechanism	Controlled freezing to destroy skin cells	Forming an ice ball to kill cancer cells	Adhering to foreign bodies for removal

Benefits and Risks of Cryoprobe Procedures

Using a cryoprobe offers a number of advantages, particularly as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgery.

Key Benefits

High Precision: Modern cryoprobes allow for accurate targeting of abnormal tissue, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy cells.
Minimally Invasive: Procedures often require no incisions or only small punctures, leading to less pain, minimal scarring, and faster recovery times.
Versatility: Can treat both surface-level dermatological issues and internal tumors.
Reduced Bleeding: The freezing process constricts blood vessels, leading to less bleeding during and after the procedure.
Outpatient Treatment: Many external cryosurgery procedures are quick and can be done in an outpatient setting.

Potential Risks and Complications

While generally safe, cryoprobe procedures carry some risks that patients should be aware of.

Nerve Damage: Freezing near nerves can cause temporary or, in rare cases, permanent numbness or weakness.
Skin Discoloration: Changes in skin pigmentation can occur, especially in individuals with darker skin tones.
Infection: As with any procedure, there is a minor risk of infection at the treatment site.
Damage to Nearby Tissues: Although rare with image guidance, unintended freezing of healthy adjacent tissue can occur.
Pain and Swelling: Patients may experience discomfort, swelling, redness, or blistering following the procedure, but these are typically temporary.

Conclusion

In summary, the question of "What does a cryoprobe do?" has a multi-faceted answer that highlights a critical advance in minimally invasive medicine. By harnessing the destructive power of extreme cold, this versatile tool enables physicians to precisely treat a wide array of conditions, from common dermatological lesions to complex internal tumors. The device offers significant benefits, including reduced pain, minimal scarring, and quick recovery. As technology continues to improve, the precision and safety of cryoprobe-based treatments are only expected to increase, solidifying its role as an important medical technology. For those considering cryosurgery, discussing the procedure with a healthcare provider is essential to ensure it is the right option for their specific needs.

Visit the Cleveland Clinic website for more on cryoablation techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary purpose of a cryoprobe is to deliver controlled, extreme cold to freeze and destroy abnormal or diseased tissue in a procedure known as cryosurgery or cryoablation.

On the skin, a cryoprobe can treat a variety of benign lesions, including warts, skin tags, age spots (solar lentigines), actinic keratosis, and certain types of benign moles.

For internal tumors, a needle-like cryoprobe is inserted through a small incision and guided by real-time imaging like ultrasound or CT scans. The probe freezes the tumor, which kills the cancerous cells.

Compared to traditional surgery, cryosurgery is often less painful. For external procedures, a local anesthetic may not even be needed. For internal procedures, local or general anesthesia is used to ensure patient comfort.

Cryoprobes typically use liquefied gases that expand rapidly, such as argon, nitrous oxide (N2O), or liquid nitrogen, to achieve the necessary freezing temperatures.

After the tissue is frozen, it thaws and the dead cells are absorbed naturally by the body. For external lesions, a scab forms and eventually falls off.

Potential side effects include nerve damage (causing numbness), temporary or permanent changes in skin color, swelling, blistering, and in rare cases, infection or damage to healthy tissue.

Yes, cryoprobes can also be used for other purposes, such as cryoextraction to retrieve foreign bodies from airways and cryoanalgesia to temporarily block nerves for pain relief.