Cryoablation Update
Our last post briefly mentioned a cryoablation procedure that we were hoping to get scheduled for Charlotte. Well, we were able to get that completed last Friday, and Charlotte seems to be responding well!
The procedure itself was minimally invasive. The team used a large needle guided by x-ray and cone beam imaging to access the lesion on Charlotte's right leg. Once they were satisfied with the location of the needle, they injected freezing argon gas into the site. The process actually required multiple cycles of freezing and thawing to kill the cells. The video below shows an artistic rendering of what happens.
Looks like I found a way to include Arnold anyway!
The whole procedure took around 2 hours, and we were able to come home after the anesthesia wore off. Charlotte has had some soreness around the injection site, but already seems much more comfortable than she was beforehand. We won't have any scans for a bit to see the results, but the initial reaction and reduction in pain is very encouraging!