Preliminary evaluation of a pulsed 2.15‐μm laser system for fiberoptic endoscopic surgery

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Abstract
There is a need for lasers that are compatible with fiberoptic endoscopes and that provide greater cutting precision than currently can be produced by the widely used Nd:YAG (1.06μm) laser. Recently available lasers that operate in the 2-μm region fill this need. This laser light energy can be transmitted by low OH–silica fibers and has much less tissue penetration than radiation at 1.06 μm. We have been evaluating a prototype solid state laser system that produces pulses of 2.15 μm light that is delivered by a silica based fiberoptic delivery system with negligible transmission losses. This system is based on a thuliumholmium-chromium doped YAG (Tm-Ho-Cr: YAG) rod that lases at 2.15 μm. The laser does not require cryogenic cooling, toxic gases, or custom utilities and should be practical in a clinical environment. In vivo animal testing of this laser confirms that it provides greater ablating precision than does the Nd:YAG laser at 1.06 μm.

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