VENOUS GAS EMBOLISM DURING CRYOSURGERY FOR BONE-TUMORS

Cryosurgery using liquid nitrogen is a method for treating benign- and low-malignant skeletal tumors. The advantage of preserving the suppor tive function of bone should be compared to the risk for its complicat ions; postoperative fracture is well known, but less so the occurrence of intraoperative venous gas embolism. This paper describes 17 patien ts: 2 patients who had serious hemodynamic complications during cryosu rgery and a study of 15 patients in whom end-tidal N-2 tension was mea sured in an attempt to investigate the clinical incidence of venous ga s embolism during cryosurgery. In the 15 cases analyzed, we did not de tect any exhaled N-2 during cryosurgery. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.