In vitro testing of dual-mode thulium microsurgical laser

Matthew D. Keller; James A. Stafford; Brandon P. Schmidt; Jonathon D. Wells

doi:10.1117/12.909516

9 February 2012 In vitro testing of dual-mode thulium microsurgical laser

Matthew D. Keller, James A. Stafford, Brandon P. Schmidt, Jonathon D. Wells

Proceedings Volume 8207, Photonic Therapeutics and Diagnostics VIII; 820711 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.909516
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Recently, thulium (Tm) fiber lasers have been investigated for use in surgical procedures, especially in urology, because of their numerous advantages over existing laser systems. Lockheed Martin Aculight has recently developed the first truly dual-mode Tm laser, which can be operated in either CW or in short-pulsed mode to produce high peak power. The goal of this study was to assess both the soft tissue ablation performance of this laser in vitro and the feasibility of using it for lithotripsy. Ablation tests were performed on liver tissue, chicken breast, and porcine skin, using a 100μm or 200μm delivery fiber, and operated in CW mode or pulsed (~350ns pulse widths) at 10kHz or 1kHz. Ablation efficiencies for long (3 minutes) exposures and collateral damage zones for short (3-5 seconds) exposures were determined for the different pulse modes and a range of pulse energies. In all tissues, the most energy-efficient ablation occurred for the 10kHz pulsed mode operating just above ablation threshold, while the highest mass removal rate occurred in 10kHz pulsed mode operating at max energy (2.1 mJ). In histological sections from short exposures, 10kHz pulsed exposures created slightly smaller thermal coagulation zones than energy-matched CW exposures, while 1kHz deliveries had substantially smaller thermal damage zones. In addition, using a 100μm fiber, the 10kHz mode was able to fragment samples of uric acid stones.

Citation Download Citation

Matthew D. Keller, James A. Stafford, Brandon P. Schmidt, and Jonathon D. Wells "In vitro testing of dual-mode thulium microsurgical laser", Proc. SPIE 8207, Photonic Therapeutics and Diagnostics VIII, 820711 (9 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.909516

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