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ED 50 study of femtosecond terawatt laser pulses on porcine skin
Author(s) -
Kumru Semih S.,
Cain Clarence P.,
Noojin Gary D.,
Cooper Mary F.,
Imholte Michelle L.,
Stolarski David J.,
Cox Duane D.,
Crane Carrie C.,
Rockwell Benjamin A.
Publication year - 2005
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.20195
Subject(s) - laser , femtosecond , materials science , optics , pulse (music) , sapphire , chirped pulse amplification , medicine , biomedical engineering , physics , detector
Background and Objectives: Terawatt (TW) lasers have become commonplace since the development of the chirped‐pulse amplification method using Ti:sapphire and Nd:glass laser rods. We have measured the minimum visible lesion (MVL) thresholds for porcine 1 The animals involved in this study were procured, maintained, and used in accordance with the Federal Animal Welfare Act and the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” prepared by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources—National Research Council. Brooks City‐Base, TX has been fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC) since 1967. (Yucatan mini‐pig) skin using TW laser pulses. Study Design/Materials and Methods: Our system produced laser pulses at 810 nm and sub‐50 femtoseconds. These 1–2 TW laser pulses created multiple self‐focusing (SF) filaments during propagation and were directed on the flanks of mini‐pigs under anesthesia. We measured the pulse energies necessary to determine the ED 50 skin damage thresholds. Results: The MVL ED 50 threshold at 1 hour was 8 mJ and increased to 21 mJ after 24 hours. Histological sections were obtained after 1‐hour and 24‐hour readings. Conclusions: The damage patterns on the skin indicated the number of filaments in the laser pulse. Many of the pulses produced only superficial damage that disappeared in 24 hours and that nearly three times the pulse energy was required to cause subdural or cellular damage. With further research, non‐thermal tissue ablation using TW laser pulses could provide a viable alternative to current techniques of laser use in dermatology. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.