A NEW CONTACT PROBE FOR INTRAOPERATIVE LASER-ABLATION

Several clinical factors decrease the accuracy of intraoperative laser ablation. The distance to the target, the irradiation angle, and the media are reported among these factors. lire developed a new laser pro be to resolve these problems. This probe has a hollow conical tube wit h a tip covered by a thin film. Zero-degree centigrade saline was fed into this probe. Results from using the new probe tr ere compared with those from the conventional noncontact irradiation method with coolin g by sprinkled cooling water. La beating canine hearts, ventricles wer e irradiated with neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers at 50-200 J/mm(2). There was no difference in the mean volume of irradia ted tissue between the new and the noncontact method. Hoar ever, the d istribution of volume values in the new method was smaller than that i n the noncontact method (P < 0.05). In conclusion, results obtained in dicate that this new probe could perform more accurate intraoperative ablation than the conventional method. Problems of stabilizing the dis tance to the target, the irradiation angle, and the media were resolve d.