title: Contact fibre Nd:YAG laser for partial nephrectomy: experimental study in pigs.
abstract: Thirty-two partial nephrectomies were performed without renal cooling on 13 pigs with a contact fibre Nd:YAG laser (10 W) or a steel scalpel with or without a vascular pedicle clamp. Nine pigs had a 2-week follow-up with an abdominal ultrasound 1 week postoperatively. The time for haemostasis was 6.9 +/- 5.2 min (mean +/- SD) with the laser and 9.1 +/- 5.8 min with the steel scalpel when the clamp was used (P = 0.028). There was no significant difference in the total operating time (13.2 +/- 4.5 min with the laser vs 12.6 +/- 4.6 min with the steel scalpel, P = 0.203). Intraoperative blood loss was similar in the two groups when the clamp was used. Clamping the renal pedicle decreased the blood loss by 61% in the laser group and 31% in the steel scalpel group. The number of ligatures used was significantly lower in the laser group (3.7 +/- 2.6) compared with the steel scalpel group (6.6 +/- 3.4) (P = 0.013). Five urinomas developed on the laser side and four on the steel scalpel side. These results indicate that the contact fibre Nd:YAG laser method can be used in partial nephrectomy, but it offers no definitive advantage over the conventional technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taari
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Salo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kivisaari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rannikko
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nordling
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lindell
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum; D000818:Animals; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D007668:Kidney / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D009354:Neodymium; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D013552:Swine; D015019:Yttrium
chemical_list: D009354:Neodymium; D015019:Yttrium; D000535:Aluminum