title: Average-power mediated ultrafast laser osteotomy using a mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser oscillator.
abstract: By using a novel temporal characterization technique, we determined that a threshold average laser power of 160 mW is required to drill through a 0.75-mm-thick cortical bone for a Nd:YVO(4) mode-locked laser oscillator with a peak intensity of 1.3 GWcm(2). The ablation mechanism is identified as average-power induced carbonization followed by peak-power induced avalanche ionization in the carbonized osseous tissue.
authors.affiliation: Hsinchu Mackay Memorial Hospital, Surgical Department, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D009354:Neodymium; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods*; D034421:Sus scrofa; D015019:Yttrium
chemical_list: D009354:Neodymium; D015019:Yttrium