Rl. Kozodoy et al., A HOLLOW SAPPHIRE WAVE-GUIDE FOR STEREOTAXIC INTRAVENTRICULAR CO2-LASER NEUROSURGERY - A RAT MODEL, Lasers in medical science, 9(4), 1994, pp. 273-281
A hollow sapphire waveguide was used for stereotactic delivery of CO2
laser radiation through the cerebro-spinal fluid to the ventricular su
rface of rat brains. The tissue was irradiated with single pulses (spo
t size similar to 0.5 mm) ranging from 0.125 to 0.5 s in duration and
from 1.68 to 5.2 W in power. The radius, depth and variation in histol
ogical appearance of the lesions were measured as a function of energy
density, and the repair response was evaluated by observing changes i
n the laser-induced lesions from 1 to 28 days post-injury. A lack of c
harring and limited size of the lesions were noted, and the lesions we
re repaired in a normal manner over the course of observation. Our res
ults demonstrate that hollow sapphire waveguides are both safe and eff
ective for the transmission of CO2 laser light for intraventricular ne
urosurgical applications.