[Intralesional Cryosurgery in the Treatment of Keloids - A Differentiation of Keloid Types for the Improvement of Patient Selection].

The overproduction of altered collagen fibers and the overexpression of Tumor Growth Factor-β must be blocked in order to interrupt the growth process within a keloid scar. This can barely be achieved with the classical therapeutic methods. The results of keloid treatment are difficult to predict and the recurrence rate is usually over 50 %. In addition, some of the procedures used (e. g. irradiation) may induce additional health risks. Intralesional cryosurgery offers a therapeutic alternative that has been evaluated since more than a decade. Our own experience in more than one thousand keloid treatments allows a critical evaluation of the classification in those keloid types, which are recommended to be treated with the technique and those, which may not respond.