title: Semiconductor diode laser photocoagulation in retinal vascular disease.
abstract: The authors successfully performed clinical transpupillary retinal photocoagulation in 30 eyes of 26 patients with retinal vascular disease using a gallium-aluminium-arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser emitting at 805 nm. Retinal photocoagulation was performed at treatment powers of 300 to 1300 mW and exposure durations of 0.2 to 0.5 seconds with a 200-microns diameter treatment spot. Patients treated with both diode and argon green lasers required 4.5 +/- 1.8 times greater mean laser energy with diode compared with argon to create ophthalmoscopically similar lesions. Parallel experimental retinal photocoagulation in Chinchilla rabbits required 3.1 +/- 0.9 times more power to create ophthalmoscopically similar lesions with the diode laser than with the argon laser. Intraoperative subretinal hemorrhage occurred rarely in patients with an incidence of 4 (0.44%) of 9021 treatment spots. Patients complained of moderate-to-marked pain in 10 (43%) of 23 treatments initiated under topical anesthesia. A transpupillary diode laser may be used clinically to perform therapeutic retinal photocoagulation.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston 02114.
authors: M W
authors: MW
authors: Balles
authors: C A
authors: CA
authors: Puliafito
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: D'Amico
authors: J J
authors: JJ
authors: Jacobson
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Birngruber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001128:Argon; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008028:Light Coagulation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011817:Rabbits; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000601:surgery*; D012666:Semiconductors; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D001128:Argon