Key issues in bioheat transfer simulations for the application of cryosurgery planning.

The bioheat transfer simulation is undoubtedly the foundation for developing computerized tools for cryosurgery planning and analysis. While a large variety of techniques for bioheat transfer simulations are available in the literature of the past several decades, it is only their integration with clinical criteria and constraints which can make computerized planning a practical reality. This brief communication outlines (in the opinion of this author) the key issues that must be addressed in the application of bioheat transfer to cryosurgery planning and analysis, while drawing attention to recent and relevant publications in other journals, with reference to the most recent publication on the topic in the Journal of Cryobiology [Z. Magalov, A. Shitzer, D. Degani, Isothermal volume contours generated in a freezing gel by embedded cryo-needles with applications to cryo-surgery, Cryobiology 55 (2) (2007) 127-137].