Side Effects of Cryoablation

Cryoablation is the freezing of cancerous tissue. According to the Mayo Clinic, small needles called cryoprobes are inserted through incisions into your skin and into a cancerous tumor. Argon gas is then pumped through the needles at extremely cold temperatures, which causes the tumor to freeze. Another gas will be pushed through the tubes to warm the frozen tissues. The freezing and thawing will continue in cycles until the cancer cells die. This procedure, however, does have potential side effects.

Recovery

• After having cryoablation, you will have small incision scars where the cryoprobes were inserted, but the recovery time is much shorter than surgical procedures to remove a tumor. Recovery time could be as short as a day in a hospital, unless complications arise. The benefits of cryoablation are promising. According to the Mayo Clinic, those who received cryoablation for kidney cancer were free of cancer for nearly two and a half years after the procedure had been performed.

Rare Side Effects

• Rare side effects from cryoablation include bleeding, infection and possible tissue damage around the site of a tumor. If you have received cryoablation for uterine cancer, there is a chance of uterine perforation, which is a hole within the wall of the uterus. If cyroablation is performed for prostate cancer, men can experience pain and swelling of the genitalia. Blood in the urine, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction can also occur for prostate cryoablation.

Risks

• According to Radiologyinfo.org, damage can occur to your internal structures. If you receive liver cryoablation, your bile ducts can be damaged. Kidney cryoablation can result in the ureter or collecting system to be damaged. Prostate cryoablation can result in the rectum being damaged. If cryoablation is done within the abdomen, the bowels may become damaged, which can result in a hole in the bowel. As a result, your bowel contents can leak into your abdomen, which can result in a serious infection. Freezing around the diaphragm can lead to the accumulation of fluid within the lungs or lung collapse.

Complications

• In men who receive cryoablation for prostate cancer, there is a possibility of impotence. However, according to Radiologyinfo.org, some men can resolve the issue of impotence as the nerves regenerate. Another complication of prostate cryoablation is urethral sloughing. This is an occurrence in which dead tissue can block the urethra, causing a blockage in your urine stream. Nerve damage can also occur, as well as complications resulting from anesthesia or medications administered during the procedure.

Dangers

• It is not normal to experience fever after surgery. If you develop a fever of more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit that persists for more than a day, seek immediate medical attention because that is a sign of infection. If you develop bladder or bowel dysfunction such as leakage, nausea and vomiting, or pelvic pain that increases in intensity, seek immediate medical attention.