Cryotherapy: Application in the airways

Abstract

Cryotherapy refers to the application of cold with therapeutic purposes. It is an old method used in different fields in medicine taking advantage of the properties of cold temperatures. In pulmonary medicine, its main application is the resection of malignant endobronchial obstructions. Cryotherapy produces tissue destruction by applying cycles of freezing and thawing and has a local cytotoxic effect that ultimately results in cellular death. Compared to other endoscopic therapies, conventional cryotherapy belongs to the so-called slow methods to treat intraluminal tumors, along with brachytherapy and photodynamic therapy. New modalities of cryotherapy application can result in fast opening: Cryoablation and cryospray. Cryotherapy can be applied alone or in combination with other therapeutic options such as laser and brachytherapy. Recently, cryobiopsy presents as a safe and useful method to obtain lung tissue samples. It is a secure and low-cost method whose strengths and limitations will be discussed in this chapter.