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New semiconductor laser for vitreoretinal surgery
Author(s) -
Azzolini Claudio,
Gobbi Pler Giorgio,
Brancato Rosario,
Trabucchi Giuseppe,
Codenotti Marco
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9101(1996)19:2<177::aid-lsm9>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - vitreoretinal surgery , laser , medicine , laser surgery , surgery , ophthalmology , semiconductor , optics , materials science , optoelectronics , retinal detachment , retinal , physics
Background and Objective We Investigated the potential application in vitreoretinal surgery of a CW diode laser with cutting capabilities. Study Design/Materials and Methods A semiconductor CW laser emitting 300 mW optical power at 1.94 μm wavelength was used to perform retinotomies and membrane cutting on rabbit eyes. The device was integrated into a dedicated controller. The laser radiation was delivered through a low attenuation fused silica optical fiber of 200 μm core size, terminating into a 20‐gauge endo‐ocular handpiece. Histological aspects of threshold lesions obtained on the rabbits' chorioretina were evaluated by light microscopy. Results We obtained circular and linear full‐thickness retinotomies with contact and non‐contact procedures during energy of 120 mJ (240 mW × 0.5 s). Using a non contact procedure, a larger peripheral coagulation halo around the retinotomies was observed, as compared to the contact method. The adjacent zone of thermal damage ranged from 50 to 200 μm. Lower efficacy was obtained on experimentally induced epiretinal membranes, where only superficial ablation was achieved. Conclusions The CW 2 μm diode laser will have a promising future in vitreoretinal surgery when a higher output irradiance is available. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.