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Ultrashort pulse laser ossicular ablation and stapedotomy in cadaveric bone

✍ Scribed by William B. Armstrong; Joseph A. Neev; Luiz B. Da Silva; Alexander M. Rubenchik; Brent C. Stuart


Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Year
2002
Tongue
English
Weight
212 KB
Volume
30
Category
Article
ISSN
0196-8092

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✦ Synopsis


Abstract

Background and Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ablation of ossicular tissue using a 1,053 nm Ti:Sapphire chirped pulse amplifier laser system configured to deliver ultrashort pulses of 350 femtoseconds (fs) (3.5 × 10^−13^ seconds) in cadaver temporal bone.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

Ablation of the formalin‐fixed incus and stapes was performed using an ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) (0.4 mm beam diameter, pulse fluence of 2.0 J/cm^2^, and pulse repetition rate of 10 Hz). The ablation rate was measured using optical micrometry, and crater surface morphology examined using scanning electron microscopy.

Results

The laser produced precise bone ablation at a rate of 1.26 μm/pulse, with almost no evidence of thermal damage, and very little evidence of photomechanical injury.

Conclusions

Ultrashort pulse lasers may provide a useful clinical tool for otologic and skull base surgery, where precise hard tissue ablation is required adjacent to critical structures. Lasers Surg. Med. 30:216‐220, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.