Patent ID: 7402140

Claim:
A system for securing a mass within the breast of a human patient, said system comprising: a cryogenic adhesion probe comprising a tube adapted for insertion into the body of the patient, said tube having a proximal end, a distal end, a proximal segment, and a distal segment, said proximal segment having a larger outer diameter than the distal segment; said distal segment having a penetrating element adapted for piercing the mass; a cutting cannula disposed about the tube, said cutting cannula characterized by a proximal end and a distal end, said cutting cannula having an inner diameter larger than outer diameter of the distal segment of the adhesion probe; a fluid actuator comprising a first piston slidably disposed within a cylinder, a first chamber on one side of the first piston and a second chamber on the other side of the first piston, said first piston being longitudinally fixed to the cutting cannula; and a canister of liquefied gas and means for selectively supplying liquefied gas from the canister to the adhesion probe, the first chamber and the second chamber.