cryotherapy /krī′ōther″əpē/ [Gk, kryos + therapeia] , a treatment using cold as a destructive medium. Cutaneous tags, warts, condyloma acuminatum, and actinic keratosis are some of the common skin disorders responsive to cryotherapy. Solid carbon dioxide or liquid nitrogen is applied briefly with a sterile cotton-tipped applicator or cryospray instrument. Blistering, followed by necrosis, results. The procedure may be repeated.
