Multi wavelength YAG:Nd/Ho laser surgery setups

Elaboration and application to clinical practice of new laser technologies, based on use of high intensity radiation, provided by IR solid-state lasers on the crystals YAG:Nd (l.06 /spl mu/m and 1.32 /spl mu/m) and YAG:Ho (2.09 /spl mu/m), whose surgery action is different, is one of the most important fields of laser surgery. The authors' experiments, which were carried out on animals, has shown that the treatment methods, based on the use of radiation of these lasers provide the best covering of surgery (general and endoscopic) necessities. The reasons are as follows. On the one hand, one has the possibility to organize loss-free transport of radiation of YAG:Nd/Ho lasers via the fused silica fiber optical waveguide to practically any place in the patient's body. On the other hand, various ranges of penetration depths-from much less than 1 mm to 1 cm-provides variety of surgery effects. The action of these lasers emission onto the surgery field is well controllable and differential and thus makes it possible to vary its effect just in course of operation: one can carry out the surface (1.32 and 2.09 /spl mu/m) or bulk (1.06 /spl mu/m) coagulation, local evaporation (2.09 /spl mu/m) and bloodless cut (1.32 and 2.09 /spl mu/m) of tissues independent on their specific nature and rate of pigmentation or vascularization.