INVESTIGATING THE RANGE OF SURGICAL EFFECTS ON SOFT-TISSUE PRODUCED BY A CARBON-DIOXIDE LASER

The authors investigated the surgical and collateral effects on soft t issue of a carbon dioxide laser emitting at 9.3 micrometers. Specifica lly, incision widths and depths as well as effectiveness were studied. Three different laser modes were investigated: gated continuous wave, or Cw, Superpulse and OptiPulse (Medical Optics). Incision depths cor related positively with average power; higher powers produced deeper i ncisions. The gated Cw mode quickly produced wide, deep incisions; Sup erpulse achieved narrower, deep incisions; OptiPulse caused very narro w, shallow incisions. Collateral damage to adjacent tissues was reduce d by a factor of about 2 using Superpulse, and by a factor of 10 using OptiPulse. A wide range of effects is achieved in soft tissue, depend ing on the laser parameter combination used.