{"id":{"repo_id":"edinburgh","oai_identifier":"oai:era.ed.ac.uk:1842/30150"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/edinburgh/oai:era.ed.ac.uk:1842/30150","repository":{"repo_id":"edinburgh","name":"University of Edinburgh","base_url":"https://era.ed.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Laboratory investigation of the cryosurgical lesion","abstract":"Cryosurgery denotes the therapeutic ablation of tissues by cold. Its use was first described by Arnott in 1851 for the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix, but never attained clinical prominence due to lack of a simple controlled means of applying cold to tissues. The introduction, 100 years after Arnott's original treatise of cryogenic apparatus based on the circulation of liquid nitrogen³⁰ reawakened interest in this form of treatment. Despite its widespread application in many of the surgical specialities over the last eight years, little experimental effort has been made to quantitate the destructive effect of low temperatures used in this way. From the surgeon's point of view it is essential to know what factors determine the quantity of tissue water frozen under any given conditions, to what extent this phase change of water produces cellular death and how he can best control his freezing to produce optimal destruction.","abstract_html":"Cryosurgery denotes the therapeutic ablation of tissues by cold. Its use was first described by Arnott in 1851 for the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix, but never attained clinical prominence due to lack of a simple controlled means of applying cold to tissues. The introduction, 100 years after Arnott's original treatise of cryogenic apparatus based on the circulation of liquid nitrogen³⁰ reawakened interest in this form of treatment. Despite its widespread application in many of the surgical specialities over the last eight years, little experimental effort has been made to quantitate the destructive effect of low temperatures used in this way. From the surgeon's point of view it is essential to know what factors determine the quantity of tissue water frozen under any given conditions, to what extent this phase change of water produces cellular death and how he can best control his freezing to produce optimal destruction.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Da Costa, John A. G."],"institution":"The University of Edinburgh","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1969,"date_issued":"1969","date_published":"1969","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:14:17Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30150","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Da Costa, John A. G."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2018-05-22T12:38:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-05-22T12:38:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1969"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Edinburgh"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["PhD Doctor of Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30150"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Cryosurgery denotes the therapeutic ablation of tissues by cold. Its use was first described by Arnott in 1851 for the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix, but never attained clinical prominence due to lack of a simple controlled means of applying cold to tissues. The introduction, 100 years after Arnott's original treatise of cryogenic apparatus based on the circulation of liquid nitrogen³⁰ reawakened interest in this form of treatment. Despite its widespread application in many of the surgical specialities over the last eight years, little experimental effort has been made to quantitate the destructive effect of low temperatures used in this way. From the surgeon's point of view it is essential to know what factors determine the quantity of tissue water frozen under any given conditions, to what extent this phase change of water produces cellular death and how he can best control his freezing to produce optimal destruction.","This paper is a study of:-","(1) The macroscopic and microscopic changes which occur in tissue after single and repetitive freeze -thaw cycles. (Repetitive freeze -thaw cycles indicate successive freezing and thawing at the same site as opposed to multiple freeze -thaw cycles where the successive applications are at different sites.)","(2) Those variable factors which determine the size of the cryolesion (the spherical zone of ice surrounding a cryoprobe in tissue) and these may be subdivided as being: -","(a) Related to the environment. (b) Related to the cryoprobe. (c) Related to the tissues.","These three aspects of the problem will be considered separately.","The cryogenic apparatus used throughout these experiments was the Linde-Cooper Cryosurgery Unit CE 2A (Union Carbide Corporation) which utilises circulating liquid nitrogen (- 196 °C) through a partially insulated operating cryoprobe. Two standard probes whose freezing tips approximated to hemispheres 2.5 mm and 5 mm respectively were used.","A second prototype instrument, supplied by the Hymatic Company, was used which generates cold by the Joule Thomson effect involving rapid expansion of pressurised Argon (2,500 p.s.i.) through a tight nozzle. The cooling probe of this machine carried four microthermocouples embedded at 0.14 cm intervals in a non -heat conducting plastic extension.","The resultant frozen tissue was measured through an operating microscope incorporating an eye -piece graticule scale permitting measurements with an accuracy up to 0.02 cm.","The macroscopic and microscopic changes which follow the freezing of tissues resemble ischaemic infarction and are productive of a fibrous scar within six weeks of freezing. Histological death of tissue extends throughout the whole frozen volume and is considered the result of ischaemia rather than crystal formation.","Absolute prediction of the volumes of tissue frozen in vivo by consideration of the variable physical factors involved will not be possible until more information is available regarding local tissue blood flows and the thermal properties of human tissues.","At present, thermocouples provide the most accurate means of control available and the ways in which an analysis of the thermal gradients in frozen and unfrozen tissue can aid in their intelligent use has been outlined."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Laboratory investigation of the cryosurgical lesion"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Da Costa, John A. G."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2018-05-22T12:38:09Z"],"dc:date.available":["2018-05-22T12:38:09Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1969"],"dc:description.abstract":["Cryosurgery denotes the therapeutic ablation of tissues by cold. Its use was first described by Arnott in 1851 for the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix, but never attained clinical prominence due to lack of a simple controlled means of applying cold to tissues. The introduction, 100 years after Arnott's original treatise of cryogenic apparatus based on the circulation of liquid nitrogen³⁰ reawakened interest in this form of treatment. Despite its widespread application in many of the surgical specialities over the last eight years, little experimental effort has been made to quantitate the destructive effect of low temperatures used in this way. From the surgeon's point of view it is essential to know what factors determine the quantity of tissue water frozen under any given conditions, to what extent this phase change of water produces cellular death and how he can best control his freezing to produce optimal destruction.","This paper is a study of:-","(1) The macroscopic and microscopic changes which occur in tissue after single and repetitive freeze -thaw cycles. (Repetitive freeze -thaw cycles indicate successive freezing and thawing at the same site as opposed to multiple freeze -thaw cycles where the successive applications are at different sites.)","(2) Those variable factors which determine the size of the cryolesion (the spherical zone of ice surrounding a cryoprobe in tissue) and these may be subdivided as being: -","(a) Related to the environment. (b) Related to the cryoprobe. (c) Related to the tissues.","These three aspects of the problem will be considered separately.","The cryogenic apparatus used throughout these experiments was the Linde-Cooper Cryosurgery Unit CE 2A (Union Carbide Corporation) which utilises circulating liquid nitrogen (- 196 °C) through a partially insulated operating cryoprobe. Two standard probes whose freezing tips approximated to hemispheres 2.5 mm and 5 mm respectively were used.","A second prototype instrument, supplied by the Hymatic Company, was used which generates cold by the Joule Thomson effect involving rapid expansion of pressurised Argon (2,500 p.s.i.) through a tight nozzle. The cooling probe of this machine carried four microthermocouples embedded at 0.14 cm intervals in a non -heat conducting plastic extension.","The resultant frozen tissue was measured through an operating microscope incorporating an eye -piece graticule scale permitting measurements with an accuracy up to 0.02 cm.","The macroscopic and microscopic changes which follow the freezing of tissues resemble ischaemic infarction and are productive of a fibrous scar within six weeks of freezing. Histological death of tissue extends throughout the whole frozen volume and is considered the result of ischaemia rather than crystal formation.","Absolute prediction of the volumes of tissue frozen in vivo by consideration of the variable physical factors involved will not be possible until more information is available regarding local tissue blood flows and the thermal properties of human tissues.","At present, thermocouples provide the most accurate means of control available and the ways in which an analysis of the thermal gradients in frozen and unfrozen tissue can aid in their intelligent use has been outlined."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30150"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Edinburgh"],"dc:title":["Laboratory investigation of the cryosurgical lesion"],"dc:type":["Thesis or Dissertation"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["PhD Doctor of Philosophy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:14:17Z"}