Johns Hopkins University

Pascal Acree

Nicholas James Durr

Susan C Harvey

Bailey Surtees

Yixin Hu

Serena M Thomas

Sean Young

Tara Blair

Evelyn McChesney

Grace Kuroki

An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a handheld cryoprobe for use in percutaneous cryotherapy of tumorous masses. It includes a probe attached to a COgas dispensing backend. The probe has specifically optimized parameters designed for use with COgas and is made out of a partially hollowed and threaded aluminum rod providing maximum heat exchange. The system backend regulates flow of compressed COgas while throttling and cooling the gas coolant to the cytotoxically low temperatures necessary for targeted tumor cell death. Additionally, the incoming initial stream of COgas is throttled by the Joule-Thomson nozzle on the backend. The low temperature exhaust gas is then used to pre-cool all subsequent incoming gas, resulting in an even lower temperature at the probe tip, which provides a positive feedback loop, continually decreasing the gas's temperature. The temperature drop is caused by the Joule-Thomson effect.

Carbon dioxide-based percutaneous cryosurgical system

Growing community of inventors

Baltimore, MD, United States of America

Pascal Acree