[Transbronchial cryobiopsies and cryotherapy in lung diseases]

Bronchoscopy cryoprobes are used for palliative treatment of endobronchial obstructions caused by tumors and removal of granulation tissue or foreign bodies. Currently this technology is also used for diagnosis of diffuse interstitial lung disease (ILD). The multidisciplinary team that establishes the clinical, radiological and histopathological correlation in ILD, decides about performing a surgical lung biopsy when the characteristics of the interstitial disease are not similar to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Although surgical lung biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, transbronchial cryo-biopsy has a high diagnostic yield, low morbidity and mortality rate, low rate of complications and lower cost. It is the diagnostic method of choice in ILD when it is available. Technological improvements with greater freezing power and tensile strength of the cryo probes, allow their use in cryotherapy and cryo-recanalization for occlusive airway tumors.