Optimization of Multiprobe Cryosurgery

This paper describes a general technique for optimising cryosurgical procedures. The method, which is based on the simplex minimisation algorithm, minimises unnecessary freesing by optimising various surgical parameters. The optimisation procedure is illustrated using a simplified model of prostatic cryosurgery. In this illustratine case, the function to be minimised, F, defined as the volume of healthy tissue destroyed during complete freesing of the prostate, is assumed to depend on three parameters: the number of cryoprobes used, the freesing length per cryoprobe, and the cryoprobe diameter