A system and a method for its use are provided to cool a cryotip at the distal end of a probe for a cryosurgical procedure. In particular, the cryotip is cooled by a liquid refrigerant to cryogenic temperatures in order to perform a cryosurgical procedure on biological tissue. For the invention, the system maintains the refrigerant in a liquid state as it transits through the cryotip. In one embodiment, a closed system is disclosed in which liquid refrigerant from the cryotip is recycled and reused. In another disclosed embodiment, liquid refrigerant from the cryotip is evaporated and the resulting vapor is released through a vent.
