A medical technique using extreme cold (usually liquid nitrogen) to burn away or destroy diseased tissue, warts, or other abnormal growths.
From Greek 'kryos' (cold) + 'kauterion' (branding iron or cautery tool). This medical term emerged in the 20th century as doctors realized extreme cold could destroy tissue similar to how heat cautery works.
It's kind of a mind-bending contradiction—'cautery' usually means burning, but cryocautery freezes tissue to death instead. Your dermatologist might use this to remove warts or skin lesions with liquid nitrogen.
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