Various methods have been proposed for the treatment of multiple superficial benign basal-cell epitheliomas. Electrodesiccation is an accepted method among dermatologists. Montgomery,1 who included squamous-cell and basosquamous epitheliomas in his series, insists that surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Witten and Lazar2 treated their patient with Thorium X. MacKee had treated this same patient with solid carbon dioxide many years before. Smith and Garrett3,4 treated seven cases of multiple superficial epitheliomas with applications of podophyllum resin (podophyllin) in compound benzoin tincture. Kile, in discussing the paper of Smith and Garrett3 reported the treatment of very superficial epitheliomas with liquid oxygen.
Cryotherapy is an old and accepted method of treatment of certain skin lesions. Liquid nitrogen is one of the best agents for treatment with refrigeration.5 Liquid nitrogen with a temperature of —195.8 C is preferred over solid carbon dioxide (—57