title: Raman-shifted alexandrite laser for soft tissue ablation in the 6- to 7-µm wavelength range.
abstract: Prior work with free-electron lasers (FELs) showed that wavelengths in the 6- to 7-µm range could ablate soft tissues efficiently with little collateral damage; however, FELs proved too costly and too complex for widespread surgical use. Several alternative 6- to 7-µm laser systems have demonstrated the ability to cut soft tissues cleanly, but at rates that were much too low for surgical applications. Here, we present initial results with a Raman-shifted, pulsed alexandrite laser that is tunable from 6 to 7 µm and cuts soft tissues cleanly-approximately 15 µm of thermal damage surrounding ablation craters in cornea-and does so with volumetric ablation rates of 2-5 × 10(-3) mm(3)/s. These rates are comparable to those attained in prior successful surgical trials using the FEL for optic nerve sheath fenestration.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kozub
authors.forename: Borislav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ivanov
authors.forename: Aroshan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jayasinghe
authors.forename: Ratna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klosner
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heller
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mendenhall
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Piston
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Joos
authors.forename: M Shane
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hutson