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Contact laser‐assisted neuroendoscopy can be performed safely by using pretreated ‘black’ fibre tips: Experimental data
Author(s) -
Willems Peter W.A.,
Vandertop W. Peter,
Verdaasdonk Rudolf M.,
van Swol Christiaan F.P.,
Jansen Gerard H.
Publication year - 2001
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/lsm.1057
Subject(s) - laser , ablation , materials science , biomedical engineering , in vivo , laser ablation , optics , medicine , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Background and Objective Laser‐assisted endoscopic neurosurgery by using conventional fibres requires the use of high‐power laser light. Because this is potentially hazardous, we developed a pretreated fibre tip and evaluated tissue effects in vitro and in vivo. Study Design/Materials and Methods By applying a highly absorbing coating to the front of the ball tip, almost all laser light is transformed into thermal energy, instantly producing ablative temperatures at the tip itself. The temperature distribution was examined by using an in vitro thermal imaging technique. The in vivo effect on rabbit cerebral tissue was examined macroscopically and histologically. Results By using a conventional fibre tip, ablation was not observed, despite the use of high energy and power (20 W for 10 seconds), whereas histology and thermal imaging demonstrated deleterious effects deeply into the cerebral tissue. By using the coated fibre tip, ablation was observed at low energy and power (1 W for 1 second) with thermal effects restricted to superficial structures. Conclusions We show that laser‐assisted neuroendoscopy can only be considered to be safe when pretreated “black” fibre tips are used, as laser light damages deep structures. Lasers Surg. Med. 28:324–329, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.