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Technique for cellular microsurgery using the 193‐nm excimer laser
Author(s) -
Palanker Daniel,
Ohad Shoshanit,
Lewis Aaron,
Simon Alex,
Shenkar Joseph,
Penchas Shmuel,
Laufer Neri
Publication year - 1991
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.1900110613
Subject(s) - microsurgery , excimer laser , excimer , transoral laser microsurgery , laser , biomedical engineering , chemistry , materials science , medicine , surgery , optics , radiation therapy , physics , head and neck cancer
A new cell surgery technique has been developed to produce well‐defined alterations in cells and tissue without detectable heating and/or other structural damage in the surroundings. The technique involves the use of an argon fluoride excimer laser, in the deep ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum at 193 nm, which is guided through a glass pipette filled with a positive air pressure. To demonstrate the method, holes were drilled in the zona pellucida of mouse oocytes. The diameter of the drilled hole was determined by the pipette tip size, and its depth by an energy emitted per pulse and number of pulses. Scanning electron microscopy of the drilled mouse oocytes showed uniform, round, well‐circumscribed holes with sharp edges. Oocytes that had their zona pellucida drilled with this new method fertilized in vitro and developed to the blastocyst stage in a rate similar to that of control group. These results demonstrate the nonperturbing nature of this cold laser microsurgical procedure. In addition to the extension of our results for clinical in vitro fertilization purposes, such as enhancement of fertilization and embryo biopsy, there are wide‐ranging possible uses of our method in fundamental and applied investigations that require submicron accuracy in cellular alteration.