Cryosurgery

Abstract

Cryosurgery is the medical application of cold to destroy tissue. Since the first veterinary reports on cryosurgery in 1970 (1), cryosurgery has become a widely accepted modality for the treatment of skin cancer in animals (2,3,4). In food animal practice cryosurgery is widely used to treat bovine ocular squamous-cell carcinoma. A preliminary report on the cryosurgical treatment of interdigital fibromas, papillomatosis and fibromas of glans penis is presented. A treatment protocol that has resulted in a cure rate of more than 90% of bovine ocular squamouscell carcinomas and the cryosurgical instrumentation required in veterinary practice are discussed in detail.