Thrombolysis by excimer laser photoablation

An in vitro investigation has been performed to assess the possibility of removing occlusive arterial thrombi with excimer laser ultraviolet light delivered by flexible optical fiber. Results indicate that such a procedure would produce small debris particles and would be minimally traumatic to the arterial wall adjacent to the clot. Fourteen arterial thrombi were successfully cleared using the excimer laser. During clot ablation an audible popping sound could be heard and a stream of small particulate debris was observed exiting the opened end of the arterial segment, along with occasional bubbles. The rate of gaseous product generation was found to be less than 0.1 μl per joule of delivered energy