Ablation of Porcine Ligamentum Flavum with Ho:YAG, Q-Switched Ho:YAG, and Quadrupled Nd:YAG Lasers

Abstract

Ligamentum flavum (LF) is a tough, rubbery connective tissue providing a portion of the ligamentous stability to the spinal column, and in its hypertrophied state forms a significant compressive pathology in degenerative spinal stenosis. The interaction of lasers and this biological tissue have not been thoroughly studied. Technological advances improving endoscopic surgical access to the spinal canal makes selective removal of LF using small, flexible tools such as laser coupled fiber optics increasingly attractive for treatment of debilitating spinal stenosis. Testing was performed to assess the effect of Ho: YAG, Qswitched Ho: YAG, and frequency quadrupled Nd: YAG lasers on samples of porcine LF. The objective was to evaluate the suitability of these lasers for surgical removal of LF.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 07, 2015
Accession Number
AD1034539

Entities

People

  • Matthew R. Johnson
  • Patrick J. Codd
  • Tara L. Boettcher
  • Westin M. Hill

Organizations

  • MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ablation
  • Bone Diseases
  • Connective Tissue
  • Decomposition
  • Fiber Optics
  • Lasers
  • Optics
  • Pathologic Constriction
  • Reflection
  • Spinal Column
  • Tissues
  • Yag Lasers

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Medical Imaging.
  • Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Medicine.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy