Effect of pulse repetition rate on erbium laser ablation of soft and hard tissues

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Abstract
An Er:YSGG laser was used to evaluate cutting rate and residual thermal damage in skin and bone at pulse repetition rates of 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 Hz. The pulse repetition rate did not affect the cutting rate or the residual damage in bone. In skin, etch depth per pulse was greatest at 2 Hz possibly because the beam profile is Gaussian only at this lowest fluence. The cutting rate in skin was similar at all other repetition rates. Residual damage in skin was greatest at high fluences (>25 J/cm2) and increased with pulse repetition rate at all fluences studied. The results are explained using a simple thermal model that is based upon the thermal cooling time of the zone of tissue damaged by a single laser pulse.

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