Er:YAG laser ablation of tissue: Effect of pulse duration and tissue type on thermal damage

摘要

AbstractThe thermal damage caused by 2.94‐μm Er:YAG laser ablation of skin, cornea, aorta, and bone was quantified. The zone of residual thermal damage produced by normal‐spiking‐mode pulses (pulse duration ≈ 200 μs) and Q‐switched pulses (pulse duration ≈ 90 ns) was compared. Normal‐spiking‐mode pulses typically leave 10–50 μm of collagen damage at the smooth wall of the incisions; however, at the highest fluences (≈ 80 J/cm2) tears were produced in cornea and aorta and as much as 100 μm of damaged collagen is found at the incision edge. Q‐switched pulses caused less thermal damage, typically 5–10