[Usefulness of cryoapplication for bleeding after needle biopsy during fiberoptic bronchoscopy]

The protective role of superficial freezing (using a "spray" N2O cryoprobe) of tracheobronchial tumours before fiberoptic biopsy was evaluated in 21 patients with suspected lung cancer and high risk of bleeding. An excellent haemostatic effect was observed in all but two patients despite 3-9 specimens taken into histopathological examination. No serious complications besides a transient cough in 5 patients were observed. So a new "spray" type cryoprobe was found useful in protection against bleeding during bronchoscopy without negative influence on the histopathological confirmation of malignancy.