Cervix treatment - cryosurgery

Alternative Names: Cervix surgery; Cryosurgery - female

Cervix cryosurgery is a surgical treatment to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue in the cervix.

Description of Procedure

Cryotherapy is an office procedure done while you are awake. The vaginal canal is held open so that the doctor can see the cervix. The doctor inserts a device called a cryoprobe into the vagina, and places it firmly on the surface of the cervix, covering the abnormal tissue.

Freezing cold compressed nitrogen gas flows through the instrument, making the metal cold enough to freeze and destroy the tissue.

An "ice ball" forms on the cervix, killing the abnormal cells. For the treatment to be most effective, the freezing is done for 3 minutes, the cervix is allowed to thaw for 5 minutes, then the freezing is repeated for another 3 minutes.

Although you may have slight cramping and flushing in the face, cryosurgery is relatively painless.

Risks of Cervix treatment - cryosurgery

Risks for any surgery are:

• Bleeding
• Infection

Other risks include:

• Scarring (cervical stenosis), which may make it more difficult to get pregnant, or cause increased cramping with menstrual periods. However, cryosurgery causes very little scarring.

Female reproductive anatomy	Cervical cryosurgery

Review Date: 2/21/2010
Reviewed By: Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faulty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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