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CO 2 lasers: Beam patterns in relation to surgical use
Author(s) -
Fava G.,
Emanuelli H.,
Cascinelli N.,
Bandieramonte G.,
Canestri F.,
Marchesini R.
Publication year - 1983
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.1900020406
Subject(s) - thermal diffusivity , laser , impact crater , optics , penetration depth , materials science , laser surgery , focal length , thermal conductivity , thermal , composite material , physics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , meteorology , lens (geology)
According to surgeons operating with a variety of CO 2 lasers available at the National Cancer Institute of Milan (Coherent, Sharplan, Valfivre), these lasers have different cutting and coagulation properties. To identify what physical parameters might corroborate the subjective impression of the surgeons, a comparative study of the crater forms in perspex samples was performed. Perspex was chosen for its thermal properties (in fact, its thermal conductivity and diffusivity are similar to those of organic tissue) and because it allowed good visualization and measurement of crater characteristics. Depth of penetration, crater diameter, and extension of thermal damage were measured against power, focal length, and exposure time for each CO 2 laser model. These results can be used as an index of behaviour of different surgical lasers. It appears that for fully characterizing the interaction of surgical lasers with the sample, it is necessary to specify either power, focal length, exposure time, or beam mode.