In:
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, Wiley, Vol. 38, No. 1 ( 2006-01), p. 52-61
Abstract:
To explore the potential of Er:YAG‐laser irradiation for precise and tractionless retinal tissue and inner limiting membrane ablation. Materials and Methods We used free‐running Er:YAG‐laser irradiation (λ = 2.94 µm) transmitted either through a 10 cm long low‐OH‐quartz fiber or a 2 m long sapphire fiber that produced a more homogenous light distribution at the fiber tip. Retinal ablation in porcine retinal explants was performed under air or perfluorodecaline (PFD). Ablation depth was evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and from histologic sections. Results A radiant exposure of 5.0 J/cm 2 delivered through a low‐OH‐quartz fiber and PFD caused a complete transsection of the neurosensory retina. Radiant exposures between 3.5 and 2.0 J/cm 2 resulted in marked variations of ablation depth and adjacent thermal damage. By contrast, laser pulses of 4.0 and 3.0 J/cm 2 transmitted through the sapphire fiber produced more homogenous defect patterns and less thermal damage. Close to the ablation threshold, with 1.0–2.0 J/cm 2 , ablation was limited to a 10–20 µm thin layer of the neural retina. Conclusions We achieved in vitro ablation of inner retinal layers, but could not produce selective and reproducible ILM removal. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0196-8092
,
1096-9101
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2006
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1475539-7