How does the doctor see what is going on during cryosurgery?
Different cryo procedures are performed under different visualization. Some procedures are performed laparoscopically, also referred to as minimally invasive keyhole surgery. A tube with a light and a camera lens at the end is inserted through small incisions in the abdomen. Imaging modalities, including ultrasound, CT and MRI are used by the physician to guide the needle placement as well as monitor the freezing process. In ultrasound-guided cryoablation procedures, the tip of the cryoablation needle is highly echogenic and is clearly visible. In CT-guided and MRI-guided procedures, the iceball is very clearly visualized on the imaging modality.
