You have requested a machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Neither SPIE nor the owners and publishers of the content make, and they explicitly disclaim, any express or implied representations or warranties of any kind, including, without limitation, representations and warranties as to the functionality of the translation feature or the accuracy or completeness of the translations.
Translations are not retained in our system. Your use of this feature and the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in the Terms and Conditions of Use of the SPIE website.
12 May 1995Is the holmium laser the proper laser for ablation of bone and cartilage in ENT?
The combination of the short penetration length in water and the delivery through flexible quartz fibers made the radiation of the Holmium laser very promising for minimal invasive surgery. Furthermore the available power density of 106 W/cm2 overcomes the threshold for ablation, which opens the way for cutting and removal of bone and cartilage, which is important for surgery especially in ENT. In contradiction, recently warning had been brought up that particularly in cartilage the damage zone can exceed the ablation zone by orders of magnitude and one should be restrictive using the Holmium laser for joint surgery. We found that the effect of Holmium laser radiation on tissue cannot be described by a pure absorption and ablation process. Experimental data showed that in the case of bone scattering has to be considered, and in the case of cartilage a remarkable heating of the remaining tissue occurred. This amount of heating could be reduced significantly by a new designed fiber mount, which cooled the tissue.
The alert did not successfully save. Please try again later.
Hans-Jochen Foth, Thomas G. Barton, Marc Bressem, Dirk H. Meyer, Karl Hoermann M.D., "Is the holmium laser the proper laser for ablation of bone and cartilage in ENT?," Proc. SPIE 2395, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems V, (12 May 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.209101