ELECTRONIC CRYOGENIC SURGICAL PROBE

CRYOSURGERY IS COMMONLY USED IN THE PRACTICE OF DERMATOLOGY TO TREAT VARIOUS BENIGN AND MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS AND LESIONS OF THE SKIN. THE EQUIPMENT FOR TREATING PATIENTS WITH CRYOSURGERY IS CURRENTLY CUMBERSOME, EXPENSIVE, AND DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. IN ADDITION, THE REFRIGERANTS SUCH ASLIQUID NITROGEN AND NITROUS OXIDE ARE RELATIVELY UNAVAILABLE, DIFFICULT TO STORE AND SOMETIMES DANGEROUS TO USE. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING ELECTRONICSEMICONDUCTORS TO GENERATE CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURES FOR CRYOSURGICAL PROCEDURES. THE HAND HELD DEVICE, A SORT OF REVERSE SOLDERING IRON, WILL ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR COMPRESSED GASES IN THESE PROCEDURES WHILE GIVING POSITIVE TEMPERATURE CONTROL. ALSO, BECAUSE SOLID STATE ELECTRONICS LENDS ITSELF TO MINITURIZATION, THIS RESEARCH MAY SHOW THAT A CRYOSURGICAL DEVICE FOR USE WITH VARIOUS ENDOSCOPES MIGHT BE POSSIBLE. THE COST TO MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTE THE DEVICE SHOULD BE LESS THAN A THREE YEAR SUPPLY OF OTHER CRYOGENS, AND RUNNINGPOWER COST OF LESS THAN A DOLLAR A DAY. THE LOW COST, ELIMINATION OF STORAGE PROBLEMS, AND MORE POSITIVE CONTROL SHOULD MAKE THE CRYOSURGICAL PROCEDURE MORE AVAILABLE TO PHYSICIANS BOTH DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN, WHILE REDUCING THE COST OF HEALTH CARE.