title: Laser-mode electrosurgery.
abstract: When performing reoperative surgery or in primary cancer resections, where margins of excision are narrow and tumor spillage is a risk, dissection by electrosurgery with a ball-tip should be considered. This technique preserves the surgeon's view of the operative field by electroevaporation of irrelevant normal or tumor tissues, provides complete small vessel hemostasis, and prevents charring. Tumor spillage is minimized and margins of resection are maximized by the ball-tip dissection technique.
authors.affiliation: Washington Cancer Institute, DC 20010, USA.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Sugarbaker
mesh_terms: D004598:Electrosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*