Title :
Tissue ablation through water with erbium: YAG lasers
Author :
Loertscher, H. ; Shi, W.Q. ; Grundfest, W.S.
Author_Institution :
Laser Res. Center, Cedars-Sinai Med. Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Abstract :
The authors report the dynamics of vapor cavities generated by 200 mu s long Er:YAG laser pulses under water and in gelatin. Acoustic transients were detected at the beginning of the laser pulse and when the cavity collapsed. Cavity expansion and collapse, and the associated acoustic transients are possible ablation mechanisms with the Er:YAG laser. Shortening of the pulse duration is suggested to minimize long range underwater tissue damages.
Keywords :
cavitation; laser applications in medicine; solid lasers; surgery; 200 mus; Er:YAG laser pulses; Er:YAl5O12; ablation mechanisms; acoustic transients; cavity collapse; cavity expansion; gelatin; laser surgery; long range underwater tissue damages; pulse duration shortening; vapor cavity dynamics; water; Acoustic pulses; Erbium; Fiber lasers; Laser ablation; Optical fibers; Optical pulse generation; Optical pulses; Pulsed laser deposition; Switches; Underwater acoustics; Acoustics; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Gelatin; Laser Therapy; Photography; Water;
Journal_Title :
Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on
