Abstract
The presentation of this huge monoinstitutional cumulative experience in bone tumor cryosurgery serves as an illustration of our basic phylosophycal concent: “No man-made implants are even close to God’s natural implants yet”. The result is the concept of conservation surgery in which cryotherapy plays the major role.
Materials and Methods: During the period of 1/88 to 12/02 (15 years, FUT 2→17 years, median=6 years) 440 cryosurgical procedures were performed in 405 people. There were 214 male and 191 female patients. The age range was 5 to 80 years but most were between 20 and 59 years. 2/3 of the series included a variety of primary benign aggressive and low grade malignant lesions and 1/3 included primary high grade and metastatic bone tumors. The anatomical location is highly variable and includes almost every bone of the skeleton.
Two methods of bone cryosurgery will be presented (including combinations of them and other adjuvants or techniques): The open system according to Marcove and our Closed System.
Results and Complications: Overall local recurrence (LR) rate=8%, fractures=1%, infections=2%, skin burns= 1.3%.
There were 3 cases of temporary nerve palsies and 2 cases of late OA of an adjacent joint. Functional outcome in 372 NED patients is almost 100% good and excellent (AMSTS, Enneking’s scoring system).
Summary: Bone cryosurgery is a safe, reliable and inexpensive technique of conservative limb, joint and even epiphysis sparing surgery in the suitable types of bone tumors, eliminating temporarily or permanently the need for resection surgery.
The abstracts were prepared by Ms Orah Naor. Correspondence should be addressed to Israel Orthopaedic Association at PO Box 7845, Haifa 31074, Israel.
