Effects of a high-power high-energy holmium:YAG laser on human meniscal ablation rates

摘要

Abstract: Using a pulsed Holmium:YAG laser at a wavelength of 2.1 microns, the ablation rates and thermal effects were measured on human meniscal cartilage. The penetration rate of a fiber under saline was measured as well as the mass loss in an air environment. Fluences were varied between 167 - 927 J/cm$+2$//pulse for the penetration rate experiment and between 38 - 490 J/cm$+2$//pulse for the mass loss experiment. Ablation threshold was found to be 10.6 J/cm$+2$/ in air. A double pulsing scheme used to reduce acoustic effects showed equivalent tissue ablation effects. The increases in ablation rates were directly proportional to the increases in pulse fluence for both methods. Histologic examination showed the lateral thermal change to be a maximum of 600 microns in air at 24 pulses per second. !12