The value of cryoablation in orbital surgery

Abstract

Aim of this article is to give an overview of the technical background and the advantages of modern devices for different applications of cryoablation in cranio-orbital neurosurgery.The treatment of orbital lesions is complicated by the complex and potentially inapparent anatomy due to retro-orbital fat. With the help of cryoprobes different well-defined lesions such as cavernous venous malformations can be safely and effectively removed thanks to the cryoadhesive effect. Their use has been described in several different approaches including traditional lateral or transcranial orbitotomy but also anterior transconjunctival as well as transnasal endoscopic approaches. Recently, single-use devices were introduced that allow the use of cryosurgery also without the need for large investment or service costs.

Keywords: Cavernous venous malformation; Cryoadhesion; Cryosurgery; Orbital schwannoma; Orbital tumors.

Fig. 1

Two different cryoablation devices are shown. The CryoTreq (blue square) is a single-use wireless cryoprobe that integrates its gas container in its handpiece. The Erbecryo (orange circle) on the other hand is a multi-use device that consists of a gas tank, the device itself on a cart and a wired cryoprobe. Different cryoprobes can be used