title: A new laser scalpel--a brief report.
abstract: One may consider the clad silica fibre cutting probe as a cheap alternative of the popular sapphire probe, sharing some of its properties. Made of silica, the scalpels have a fair heat tolerance and may be used without cooling by liquids or gas as is necessary with sapphire blades. The laser scalpel described here is driven (powered) with a 10 W cw Nd:YAG laser energy source (1064 nm) and possesses good cutting and haemostatic properties. It may also be used with lasers emitting other wavelengths. One may assume that a diode laser emitting in the near infrared (800-810 nm) may have very similar, although no analogous cutting properties when used with the described scalpel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rol
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fankhauser
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Henchoz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kwasniewska
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dürr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: England
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van der Zypen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niederer
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide