Human health and medicine

Cryoablation

Cryoablation is a minimally invasive treatment that destroys abnormal tissue, such as tumors and arrhythmia-causing heart tissue, by freezing it through probes or catheters placed inside the body.

Cryoanesthesia, or refrigeration anesthesia, is anesthesia produced by cooling, either core or skin cooling (MeSH D050785). Used as ice or refrigerant-spray precooling in dentistry and laser therapy, and as cryoanalgesia nerve freezing near −70°C.

Cryoballoon ablation

Cryoballoon ablation is a catheter-based cardiac procedure in which a balloon cooled to −80 °C by nitrous oxide freezes heart tissue around the pulmonary veins, treating atrial fibrillation in a single application.

Cryobiopsy

Cryobiopsy, or transbronchial mediastinal cryobiopsy, is a biopsy technique in which a cryoprobe freezes tissue to withdraw an intact specimen, with about 81% diagnostic yield for interstitial lung disease.

Cryoglobulinemia

Cryoglobulinemia: serum immunoglobulins that precipitate below 37°C and redissolve on rewarming, classified as type I, II, or III (Brouet). Mostly HCV-related; causes purpura, neuropathy, glomerulonephritis; treated with antivirals, rituximab, plasma exchange.

Cryolipolysis

Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive cosmetic procedure that uses controlled cold to freeze and destroy fat cells, reducing localized fat deposits; its commercial form, CoolSculpting, received FDA clearance in 2010.

Cryonics

Cryonics: preserving legally dead humans or brains at cryogenic temperatures (liquid nitrogen, −196°C) hoping future medicine can revive them. Founded by Robert Ettinger (Prospect of Immortality, 1964); first patient James Bedford, 1967; Alcor and Cryonics Institute operate it; no revival demonstrated.

Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery is a surgical technique that destroys abnormal tissue by freezing it, used for skin lesions and cancers of the skin, prostate, kidney, and liver.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy (cryoablation, cryosurgery) is the medical use of extreme cold, typically liquid nitrogen at −196 °C, to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue such as warts, precancerous lesions, and some cancers; whole-body cryotherapy chambers lack proven benefit and FDA approval.

Cryoultramicrotomy

Cryoultramicrotomy is the technique of cutting ultrathin frozen sections with a diamond knife at low temperature, underpinning Tokuyasu immunolabeling and CEMOVIS cryo-electron microscopy of vitreous sections.

Cryptic pregnancy

Cryptic pregnancy, or pregnancy denial (déni de grossesse), is a pregnancy unrecognized by the woman until late gestation or labor; about 1 in 475 pregnancies at 20 weeks and 1 in 2455 at delivery, distinct from deliberate concealment.

Cryptococcosis

Cryptococcosis, caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii, is an inhaled fungal infection of lungs and brain; leading HIV-associated killer, treated with amphotericin B, flucytosine, and fluconazole.

Cryptogenic late-onset epileptic spasms

Cryptogenic late-onset epileptic spasms (ORPHA:163708, late-onset infantile spasms) is a rare epilepsy syndrome with spasms after age 1 year in clusters, tonic seizures, atypical absences, cognitive deterioration, and temporal/temporofrontal EEG focus without hypsarrhythmia.

Cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis

CMUSE (cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis), related to CNSU and CEAS, is an extremely rare small bowel disease causing multiple shallow ulcers and fibrous strictures, obstruction, and anemia; treated with steroids, often misdiagnosed as Crohn's disease.

Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis, caused by Cryptosporidium parasites (C. parvum, C. hominis), is a diarrheal disease and the leading US waterborne illness; chlorine-resistant oocysts, nitazoxanide treatment.

Crystal healing

Crystal healing: placing stones such as quartz on or around the body to influence health via energy fields or chakras. A 20th-century New Age practice, not an ancient one; trials show only placebo effects.

Cs-1003

CS-1003 (CS1003, nofazinlimab) is CStone Pharmaceuticals' humanized IgG4 anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, mouse cross-reactive, with a global phase 3 lenvatinib combination trial in first-line hepatocellular carcinoma.

CSM study

CSM study: the AOSpine CSM North America (NCT00285337) and CSM International (NCT00565734) prospective cohort studies of cervical spondylotic myelopathy surgery, 757 patients, 26 sites, 2005-2011, led by Michael Fehlings.

CSPPT trial

CSPPT (China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial), NCT00794885: 20,702 Chinese hypertensive adults randomized to enalapril 10 mg plus folic acid 0.8 mg or enalapril alone; folic acid cut first stroke 21% (HR 0.79).

cSVF-Lung trial

cSVF-Lung (NCT03909750, GARM 2 Lung) was a suspended Phase 1 Healeon Medical trial testing autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction by IV infusion in COPD and restrictive lung disease, 50 planned participants.

CT arthrography

CT arthrography (CTA) is an imaging technique in which contrast is injected into a joint before CT scanning, making it a reference standard for cartilage surface defects.

CT colonography

CT colonography, also called virtual colonoscopy, is a low-radiation-dose CT examination that images the prepared colon to detect polyps and cancer without sedation or an endoscope.

CT enterography

CT enterography is a computed tomography technique in which the patient drinks neutral oral contrast to distend the small bowel, used mainly to evaluate Crohn's disease.

CT myelography

CT myelography is an imaging method in which iodinated contrast injected into the spinal subarachnoid space outlines the spinal cord and nerve roots on CT, first reported in 1976.

CT myocardial perfusion imaging

CT myocardial perfusion imaging is a cardiac computed tomography technique that measures blood flow through the heart muscle during pharmacological stress to identify significant coronary stenoses.

CT perfusion imaging

CT perfusion imaging, or CT perfusion, is a computed tomography technique that maps brain blood flow with injected contrast, mainly to select stroke patients for treatment.

CT pulmonary angiogram

CT pulmonary angiogram (CTPA, CT pulmonary angiography): contrast-enhanced CT timed to the pulmonary arteries, the standard test to diagnose acute pulmonary embolism; PIOPED II sensitivity 83%, specificity 96%, preferred over V/Q scanning.

CT scan

A CT scan, also known as a CAT scan, is a medical imaging procedure that uses rotating X-rays to produce cross-sectional images of the body.

CT severity score

The CT severity score (CT-SS) is a semi-quantitative radiological method grading lung involvement on chest CT, widely applied during the COVID-19 pandemic to predict ICU admission and death.