title: Experimental use of semiconductor diode laser for neuroendoscopic surgery.
abstract: The authors demonstrate an experimental use of the newly developed high power aluminium-gallium-arsenide (AlGaAr) diode laser (DIOMED 25, Olympus Optical Company, Tokyo, Japan). The unit consists of a compact body and fiberoptic probes with small accessories. There are two types (contact and non-contact) of probes. Tissue effects on rat liver, femoral artery, and brain tissue were examined. Adding that, we measured the thermal changes on the liver surface produced by the laser beam with a thermography system. For coagulation with the contact probe, 5 or 7 W was adequate but 10 W was too excess because of tissue adhesion. For cutting, low absorption of the laser in less vascularized tissue like brain white matter provided a deeper tissue damage compared with more vascularized tissue. The temperature at the center reached over 100 degrees C during 10 seconds after laser treatment with the cutting probe. These findings suggest that this system proved to be a good candidate for endoscopic hemostasis and cutting with meticulous maneuver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagatani
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000601:surgery; D019723:Endoscopes; D004867:Equipment Design; D007834:Lasers; D051381:Rats; D012666:Semiconductors