KIDNEY CANCER
CRYOTHERAPY
Cryosurgery Procedures
Treatment Side Effects
and Possible Complications
There are possible complications with any medical procedure, and renal cryotherapy is no exception. Complications that can occur during or after any procedure include problems related to general anesthesia and cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus. These problems rarely occur, and the risk depends on the patient’s general fitness for surgery and previous medical problems. Published data show that the location and size of the lesion can affect the risk for certain complications, as can the approach and technique employed to access the kidney. Overall, minimally invasive procedures have a lower complication rate than open surgeries.
Clearly, any time the kidney undergoes surgery, there is a chance of excessive bleeding. Patients who undergo cryoablation have less risk of bleeding because the surgeon is not actually cutting into the kidney. Similarly, not incising the kidney minimizes the risk of a complication known as “urine leak.” As used here, the term “urine leak” refers to urine leaking from the kidney’s internal collection system (see the section entitled The Kidneys). This happens when the collection system is disrupted by the incision made into the kidney. Sometimes this leakage can cause a cyst in or on the kidney that contains urine. This cyst is called a urinoma, and is a relatively rare complication that may require additional treatment.
During the double freeze-thaw process, injury to nearby structures such as the blood vessels, spleen, liver, pancreas or bowel can occur. Great care is taken during every cryosurgical procedure to avoid these injuries, and pre-procedure imaging studies aid the surgeon in planning the best approach, technique, and placement of the cryoablation needles to minimize trauma to healthy kidney tissue and adjacent structures.
Since patients undergoing cryosurgery to remove a kidney tumor report minimal pain, complications arising from the administration of pain killers are also kept to a minimum. Before leaving the hospital, patients are instructed to be vigilant for various signs of wound infection and hernia through one of the wounds, which are possible post-procedure complications.
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