Also known as Barrett's esophagus, the condition results from ongoing heartburn, in which stomach acid constantly splashes into the esophagus. If left untreated, this can become Barrett's with dysplasia, in which cells start to transform.
Typical treatment for Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia has included mucosal resection, in which the damaged lining is scraped away. This procedure can take hours and cause side effects such as bleeding or narrowing of the esophagus.
The new method developed by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas involves a special catheter for spraying liquid nitrogen on the damaged tissue to freeze the lining of the esophagus. The treated tissue falls away, allowing normal cells to grow and replace the damaged cells in about six to eight weeks, Health Day news reports.
Also know as Cryoablation therapy, the method has received an approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Cryotherapy, also called cryosurgery, cryoablation or targeted cryoablation therapy, is a minimally invasive treatment that uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy diseased tissue, including cancer cells.
In cryotherapy, liquid nitrogen or argon gas is applied to diseased cells located outside or inside the body. Physicians use image-guidance techniques such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) to help guide these freezing substances to treatment sites located inside the body.
