Cryo Neurotomy

[C Fiber]

Anyone care to comment on your experiences regarding cryo neurotomy?

What kind of cases? Sensory nerves only or mixed nerves too?
Duration of freezing?
Gauge of probe?
Outomes?
Cost and benefit ratio? (Is the machine and probe sterilization expensive?)
Why not just RF?

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[Aether2000]

Cryo probes come in 14, 16, and 18 gauge for pain work. There are two manufacturers (one now defunct) of these machines and they work exactly the opposite way functionally. One requires depressing the foot pedal to activate and the other does the same to deactivate. I use these for DRG and peripheral sensory nerves. Burning the same with RFTC can lead to increased pain in some patients and pulsed is increasingly not reimbursable since the official CPT code for pulsed RF is now 64999. Results vary wildly but usually 3 months is par if you are directly on the nerve.

 

[thepainguy]

Cryo? What? You mean people are still using that technology? I haven't seen a cryo case in Texas in five years....Just pulse it.