What is cryoablation?

Cryoablation is a medical procedure that employs extreme cold to destroy abnormal tissues or cells. This technique involves applying liquid nitrogen or argon gas to a targeted area of the body, effectively freezing the tissue. The extreme cold causes cellular damage and ultimately leads to cell death, making it a useful option for treating various medical conditions, such as certain types of tumors or abnormal growths.

In contrast, the other options describe different medical interventions. Heating tissue to destroy it refers to techniques such as radiofrequency ablation or thermal ablation, which rely on high temperatures to achieve their effects. Methods that assist in tissue regeneration typically focus on promoting healing or repair rather than destruction. Radiation therapy, on the other hand, utilizes high-energy particles or waves to target and kill cancer cells, rather than employing cold temperatures as in cryoablation. Thus, the correct definition of cryoablation aligns precisely with its use of extreme cold to achieve therapeutic outcomes.