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Biomedical subjects

R F Elton

Publications and source records attributed to R F Elton.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1983

Complications of cutaneous cryosurgery.

The complications of cutaneous cryosurgery may be divided into technical problems, those involving patient selection, reactions of the immediate and acute type, short-term reactions, and long-term complications. Technical problems involve primarily the delivery system and temperature monitoring. Proper patient selection is essential for avoiding complications. Reactions to cryotherapy vary widely from those which may be considered normal to hemorrhage, severe systemic reactions in cold-sensitive individuals, full-thickness skin necrosis, syncope, and sudden death. Short-term complications include hemorrhage, infection, and granuloma pyogenicum. Long-term reactions include pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, nerve damage, pigmentary problems, tissue defects, delayed healing, scar formation, and the recurrence of benign and malignant lesions.

Cryosurgery↗
PubMed1983

The appropriate use of liquid nitrogen.

Cryosurgery, from the Greek word "kyros" meaning icy cold, is 80 years old and has become firmly established in medicine as a modality for the destruction of superficial benign and malignant lesions. Its advantages include simplicity of use, few complications, use where radiotherapy would destroy tissue such as cartilaginous structures, little bleeding, only occasional need for anesthesia, and no need for hospitalization. Patients with pacemakers and elderly patients can be treated. A good cosmetic result is obtained and multiple lesions can be treated at one sitting. It is the treatment of choice for many basal cell epitheliomas on the eyelid, and in patients with multiple cancers, those allergic to local anesthesia, those on anticoagulants, and those patients with a history of hepatitis or other serologically transmitted diseases. Cryosurgery is not a panacea for the treatment of benign or malignant skin lesions. The physician must be knowledgeable about the clinical nature of the lesion being treated and must foster a degree of skill using cryosurgical techniques in order to avoid pitfalls and to obtain satisfactory results. There is no substitute for experience.

Acne Vulgaris↗