The basis, technique and indication for cryosurgery in tumours of the oral cavity and face.

The fundamentals of clinical application of crysurgery with very deep freezing of tissues is based on the necrotising effect of extreme cooling. The freezing of extracellular and intracellular free fluid leads to irreversible cell damage, because of a shift of electrolyte concentration to toxic values, and a direct lesion of internal cellular structures. The lesion due to cold occurs as a clear demarcation from the healthy surrounding, almost completely painlessness, and rapid healing without complication. For clinical application in the head and neck, there are cooling instruments fitted with specially shaped, exchangeable probe heads. Convincing results were achieved in the cryosurgical treatment of leucoplakias and Bowen's disease of the oral mucosa. The curative possibilities in carcinoma of the oral mucosa is small because of the limited performance of the cryo-carrier, which is best suited for superficial, non-infiltrating tumours. Preoperative rapid cooling of melanomas was performed to avoid dissemination of tumour cells during resection. Favourable functional results were achieved in the treatment of hemangiomas.