Cryoablation of the Prostate

Over the past decade, there has been a strong movement within urologic onco- logy toward minimally invasive diagnostic procedures as well as therapies. Two prime examples of this for prostate cancer are laparascopic radical prosta- tectomy and brachytherapy. The goals of minimally invasive therapies for a malignancy of a solid organ are to eradicate the local disease, shorten hospital stay, limit postoperative morbidities, quicken return to daily functions and work, and reduce the overall cost of the procedure. Although some of these thera- pies are relatively new, they are gaining popularity rather quickly, and several worldwide experiences have demonstrated that they are quite effective in achieving most or all of these goals (1).